SGX plans to trade Trac-x linked futures

The exchange gave no exact start date for the Trac-x products, but said they would be launched some time this summer. The products will be the first exchange-traded credit derivatives. Credit derivatives have traditionally been regarded as inappropriate for exchange trading due to a lack of standardisation. As an index, Trac-x represents an opportunity for exchanges to participate in the market.

The Trac-x product family was launched in April and has since grown to include 38 indexes, collectively worth over $150 billion in trades on the over-the-counter market.

“For the first time with the Dow Jones Trac-x family we can offer a transparent, neutrally branded, unbiased and well recognised family of indexes to underline the product,” said Michael Petronella, president of Dow Jones Indexes. The company expects to make similar advances with European and US exchanges, he added.