Structured Products/News
Investors turn to structured products for safety as stocks climb
Many investors see equities as fairly valued or even overvalued, boosting demand for structured products that offer protection or benefit from sideways markets
L&G blames low interest rates as it quits UK retail structured products
Legal & General exits the market following a reported decline in sales, putting an end to its distribution of Barclays-backed plans
Morgan Stanley's 2013 maturity structured products deliver healthy returns
Six Morgan Stanley retail products maturing in 2013 produced annualised returns of 11–14%, while the bank's worst-performing growth products came in flat to the market
Finra bears down on complex structured products
Topping the regulator's list of priorities for 2014 is ensuring that US brokers make adequate enquiries before offering complex products to retail investors
Riskier structured products with 60% barriers could be 'shockers' of the future, says insider
Capital-at-risk products with a 60% barrier have crept into the retail market and are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. But is the extra risk they pose appropriate for retail investors?
Biggest burden from Camp’s comprehensive tax review could fall on retail investors
After thinking they would be ignored in a broad reform of the US tax system led by David Camp, retail investors could find themselves in the firing line for phantom income tax, say bankers
Focus Structured Solutions makes debut in UK structured products
Credit Suisse distributor launches three UK structured products with 60% European barriers
SEC's Amy Starr: we are scrutinising ETNs
ETNs pose many of the same disclosure risks as structured notes and may be the subject of future guidance, suggested the SEC’s top structured products regulator and author of last year’s letter to US banks
SEC targets ‘protected’ and ‘guaranteed’ fund names
After criticising the use of the term “principal protected” in structured notes, the SEC turns to ETFs and mutual funds that promise protection from loss in their names
Retail investors may be paying tax unnecessarily
A loophole in the UK's tax rules relating to financial advisers means investors can avoid paying VAT on certain transactions, but some advisers could be charging it nevertheless
Ombudsman rejects Meteor structured product complaint
A couple invested in a Lehman Brothers-backed structured product will not be able to claim £165,000 back after the UK Financial Ombudsman Service rules it was not mis-sold by Meteor
One-third of UK consumers see ‘low value’ in financial advisers, index shows
Financial advisers in the UK received a score of 73 out of 100 in a Vanguard survey designed to measure the value financial advisers deliver to their clients
Twitter structured products less popular than those linked to Facebook
Social media stocks vie for popularity as underlyings
Volatility indexes are poor hedge against tail risks, say managers
Systematic indexes become expensive "just when you need them", portfolio manager
Equity inflows boost ETF assets by 19% to hit record highs
Assets in exchange-traded funds reached an all-time high of $2.319 trillion in October, with three firms – iShares, State Street and Vanguard – accounting for 70% of the total
Structured products benefiting from Dubai's safe-haven status in Middle East
Dubai's reputation as a regional safe haven, together with a relatively relaxed regulatory regime, is helping flows into the UAE
RBS agrees to sell £175bn structured product portfolio to BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas wins bid to acquire the multi-billion-pound structured products portfolio put up for sale by Royal Bank of Scotland
Structured Products Europe: Disappointment over EC’s failure to adopt RDR
Belgian regulator would like to see the Retail Distribution Review's commission ban enacted across Europe
‘Complex’ definition eludes European regulators
Determining whether a structured product is "complex” – and therefore unsuitable for retail investors – continues to divide regulators in Europe
Volatility products within family office portfolio: keep it simple or minimise risk in other ways?
A well-diversified portfolio could be better for controlling risk than volatility investments, according to members of the family office industry.
Family offices debate role of structured products at London panel
Firms that manage family fortunes say structured products have come a long way since the financial crisis, but their use in family office portfolios remains limited
SG and BNP Paribas results reveal positive effect of equities on structured products as credit products flounder
Equity-linked structured products booming, according to quarterly results from BNP Paribas and Société Générale
German banks agree to reveal structured product valuations
In a bid to stay one step ahead of the regulators, a consortium of major German banks has volunteered to boost disclosure around the pricing and payout probabilities of their structured products
JVB name to remain after merger with PrinceRidge bolsters structured products
The two structured products distributors will operate as a single entity after parent company announces redundancies affecting 20% of staff