JCRA: A collapse in the cost of credit

The cost of hedging has fallen dramatically in recent months, largely because dealers are slashing the spread they charge to cover counterparty risk, according to Jackie Bowie, chief executive of risk consultancy JC Rathbone Associates. That’s an opportunity for many and a potential worry for some. By Fiona Maxwell

Jackie Bowie, JCRA

Derivatives are cheap again. After rocketing during the financial crisis, recent months have seen costs collapse – specifically the spread charged by dealers to cover credit valuation adjustment (CVA), according to Jackie Bowie, London-based chief executive of JC Rathbone Associates (JCRA). This might be good news for hedgers, but it raises some troubling questions about whether banks, under huge