Merrill Lynch wins Derivatives House of the Year

Merrill Lynch has won Risk magazine’s Derivatives House of the Year award for 2007. Meanwhile, this year’s Energy Derivatives House of the Year award goes to JP Morgan, which talks exclusively to Risk about its acquisition of Amaranth Advisors’ energy portfolio last September.

Merrill Lynch has made giant strides in its derivatives business over the past year across virtually all asset classes. Derivatives revenues have increased quickly, rising from $2.3 billion in 2004 to an anticipated $4.5 billion in 2006.

Key to this growth has been recognising gaps in product offering, client coverage and geographic location, and filling those through acquisitions or new hires. Over the past two years, the bank has hired more than 700 people globally to work in derivatives.

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