Central banks
QFII redemptions rise as crisis spreads
Concern over the health of financial markets has led to "a lot of redemptions" from qualified foreign institutional investor (QFII) bond funds, despite their strong performance versus other China-Hong Kong investment schemes, according to Andrew Fung,…
ECB no longer accepts syndicated loans as collateral
The European Central Bank (ECB) has removed syndicated loans governed by English law from its list of collateral eligible for its credit operations only four days after they were originally accepted.
China slashes interest rates
China has taken further action to stimulate its economy, with the central bank cutting its one-year lending rate by 108 basis points to 5.58% and the deposit rate by the same amount to 2.52%.
ECB spells out urgent concerns for Sepa
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Fed opens $800 billion war chest to aid securitisation recovery
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has unveiled ambitious proposals to purchase up to $800 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and extend credit to holders of cash asset-backed securities (ABS) in an effort to prop up the securitisation…
Investec unveils fifth series of structured products
Investec Structured Products has released its fifth series, including the latest issue of its accumulation, investment and income plans. The five-year FTSE 100 and RPI Combination Plan 4 offers annual payments equivalent to 7.5% of the initial investment…
US Treasury secretary Paulson speaks out on international regulatory overhaul
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HKMA's Genberg dismisses 'decoupling' theory
The idea that increasing inter-regional trade in Asia could offset the impact of the recessions in the US and Europe - the so-called 'decoupling' theory - is ill-founded, said Hans Genberg, executive director of Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)…
Demand wanes for central bank liquidity schemes
The appetite among European and US banks to access liquidity schemes provided by central banks has reduced dramatically, according to the latest figures.
G-20 principles spell increased financial regulation
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Forex experts: no need for central clearing house
The foreign exchange markets are unlikely to follow the credit default swaps (CDS) market by establishing central counterparties in the near future.
HSBC terminates swaps in Lehman Bros minibonds
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) says HSBC Institutional Trust Services, the trustee of Lehman Brothers' defaulted minibond notes programme, has terminated the swaps that back series 1 to 8 of the programme, to remove the risk of credit events…
CDS clearing house to miss November 30 deadline
The November 30 target for central clearing of index credit default swap (CDS) trades set by a consortium of industry associations and investment banks is unlikely to be met, sources within the Federal Reserve Bank of New York have said.
Minibond swap agreements terminated in Singapore
HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore), the trustee for the Lehman Minibond programme, has terminated the swaps in the product for series 1 to 8 of the programme, which removes the risk of credit events in the underlying securities and helps to…
Markets indifferent to Amex conversion as auto-maker bail-out looms
Credit spreads on American Express debt narrowed marginally yesterday while equity prices hit a new low as US markets were largely unmoved by news of the credit card company’s conversion into a bank holding company.
Quant Congress Europe: Regulatory focus to switch to leverage
At the keynote address at the European Quant Congress in London today, Peter Praet, executive director in charge of financial stability at the National Bank of Belgium, said that the Basel II regulatory framework will be revised to look more closely at…
Arc unveils latest range of core products
Arc Capital and Income has launched the latest offering of its three core products, comprising the Bricks and Mortar Plan two, the Bull and Bear Enhanced Investment Plan five and the Fixed Income Plan nine.
November target for CDS central counterparty
Dealers have pledged to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to begin using a central counterparty for clearing credit derivatives by the end of November.
Investors' interest intensifies in hedge funds as countries compete for business
With vast sums looking for attractive investment opportunities, the Middle East is ripe for hedge fund development. While there are significant challenges still to overcome, liberalisation and the development of viable financial service centres are…
High five for distressed investors
There is a celebratory mood amongst distressed debt investors. Having spent several years scratching around for opportunities in a raging bull market, their cup now runneth over. We profile five leading funds in the distressed arena
Lawmakers take aim at CDS market
Regulators have been threatening the credit derivatives market with draconian new legislation in a bid to curb practices that supposedly exacerbated the current turmoil. But the lawmakers' belligerent comments are somewhat akin to closing the windows…
Joyce Chang
The head of emerging markets research at JPMorgan talks to Dalia Fahmy about how the sector is adapting to the upheaval in the the global markets