The untold story of Blackstone's Jon Gray - Reddit trading frenzy continues - Meet star Goldman banker Kim Posnett

Good morning and welcome to Insider Finance. I'm Dan DeFrancesco, and here's what's on the agenda today:

• Come for the power plays, stay for the squash matches with Bill Ackman. Here's our definitive story on the rise of Blackstone's Jon Gray.
• Retail traders keep pushing stocks - specifically GameStop - to astronomical highs and that's helped some people nab massive returns
• Meet Kim Posnett, Goldman Sachs' investment banking services head. You'll hear from colleagues and mentors, including Gregg Lemkau.

If you're not yet a subscriber, you can sign up here to get your daily dose of the stories dominating banking, business, and big deals.

Like the newsletter? Hate the newsletter? Feel free to drop me a line at ddefrancesco@businessinsider.com or on Twitter @DanDeFrancesco.

Jon Gray is the future of Blackstone. 50 insiders reveal how the superinvestor consolidated power, elbowed out rivals, and is remaking the firm in his golden-boy image.

Jon Gray is the second most powerful man at private-equity giant Blackstone.

We spoke to 50 insiders to break down how Gray went from an analyst in 1992 to the pinnacle of one of the most powerful firms on Wall Street.

Click here to read the entire story.

Meet Kim Posnett, the youngest head of a powerful team inside Goldman Sachs' investment bank that's focused on pitching new, innovative ways to get deals done

Kim Posnett is the youngest person and first woman to lead Goldman Sachs' investment-banking services group. Here's a nice profile on the star banker leading a unique team. Read more here.

Here are 4 highlights from Larry Fink's letters to CEOs and BlackRock clients that will serve as a big boost to the red-hot ESG market in 2021

Larry Fink's annual letters to investors and CEOs was focused heavily on climate change. We highlighted four of the major points, and why it's a big deal for the future of the ESG market. See more here.

Odd lots:

Junior bankers feel left behind in COVID-era banking boom (Reuters)

Bank of America Banker Revolt Spurs Retreat on Bonus Plan for Veteran Staff (Bloomberg)

Some users are experiencing issues with trading platforms Vanguard, TD Ameritrade, and Charles Schwab due to heavy volume (BI)

Robinhood CEO: Becoming an investor is the new American dream, just like home ownership was before (CNBC)

The White House is 'monitoring the situation' with GameStop and the stock market (BI)

Goldman CEO David Solomon given a $10 million pay cut as punishment for firm's involvement in bribery scandal (BI)

Elizabeth Warren and AOC slam Wall Streeters criticizing the GameStop rally for treating the stock market like a 'casino' (BI)

One GameStop shareholder got $2.7 billion richer in one week, and the rally isn't over yet (BI)