Articles by Lukas Becker
BAML and Morgan Stanley swaps drop $186bn on VM change
At least seven banks now using settled-to-market treatment for variation margin
Goldman swaps assets drop $140bn after margin change
Move follows guidance from US regulators; no word from Goldman on capital impact
FSB report highlights Eonia worries
Market participants concerned about health of euro overnight rate, which is crucial to swaps contracts
Regulator seeks Libor-style deal to prop up Euribor
Future of €180 trillion Euribor swaps market unclear as banks yet to agree support
FCA moots synthetic Libor as rates fallback
Once Libor is allowed to die, replacement could be risk-free rate plus fixed credit spread
Mnuchin makes life harder for quants
Proposed CCAR changes make KVA calculations even more complex
Just six banks caught by phase two of IM regime
Four EU, one Japanese and one Australian bank to start posting initial margin on non-cleared trades from September
Goldman’s veteran rates head moves to risk role
Three co-heads named after Pantazopoulos ends nine-year run at the head of rates group
Spectre of mass swap unwinds looms ahead of VM deadline
Dealers warn of market disruption if trades lacking new CSAs are terminated before September 1
Banks urged to engage custodians in time for IM phase two
Isda AGM: Start legal negotiations now or risk missing September deadline, warn dealers
New data and AI tipped to transform trading businesses
Isda AGM: New BNP Paribas system already creating counterparty trading probabilities for bonds
Euro clearing relocation ‘will inform’ US cross-border policy
Isda AGM: CFTC’s Giancarlo says geography has been no barrier for EU CCPs in the US
MEP: Basel too slow to deal with clearing capital clash
Isda AGM: Swinburne criticises Basel’s lethargy on clash between leverage and clearing rules
LCH warns on euro clearing land grab
Isda AGM: location policy would result in higher margin costs, lower liquidity, says Maguire
Margin rule mismatch spawns new VM funding cost for buy side
Settlement timing difference penalises back-to-back trades with US and EU banks
Derivatives sales 2.0: banks explore big data
Pressured banks hope new tools and technical nous will give their sales teams an edge
Variation margin relief sparks swaps pricing disputes
Banks divided over whether to price trades using current CSAs or theoretical new agreements
JFSA eases VM rules for cross-border trades
Japanese firms with non-compliant CSAs can trade with certain foreign counterparties from March 1
VM showdown a clash banks could not win
Clients clinging to hard-won CSA terms, in face of dealer calls for standardisation
Auditors: the extra line of defence
If CDS skew spikes, some banks may be thankful for conservative accountants
Trump victory: market whipsaw could spell exotics losses
Seesawing markets prompt speculation of big losses for structured product issuers
LCH targets non-cleared market with radical new platform
Bilateral trades would be valued and margined using LCH swap curves
LCH under scrutiny after outsized Brexit margin calls
Intra-day calls criticised by banks; FIA working group pushing for change
Traders blame bail-in for Deutsche CDS jump
Debt subordination behind spread widening from January; CVA desks may need to adjust hedge ratios