Feature
How low can you go: falling cost of FX fix sparks concern
Algorithms reducing fixing fees, but some dealers willing to go even lower – perhaps dangerously so
The buy side and Libor: it’s decision time
Investors weigh pros and cons of signing newly released Isda fallback protocol, as Libor demise looms
Asia’s private wealth giants shift gears to market-neutral
With interest rates low, structured product investors bypass capital-protected products for market-neutral strategies
G-Sibs see little sign of relief on Fed’s systemic buffer
Central bank liquidity and Treasuries will push US firms into higher G-Sib buckets
Joe Biden’s slow road to remaking US financial regulation
Moves on climate risk could come early; other changes may have to wait until end of 2021, or later
Funding pain prompts calls to rehome FVA
Dealers push to move derivatives funding costs out of P&L following March’s outsize losses
Botched copy: Esma delivers cut and paste pastiche of Trace
Mifid transparency mishmash misses key aspects of US system it emulates, say dealers
Investors weigh merits of ESG hedging
Opinion divided over proposed tool for transferring risk of non-sustainable activities
US election scenarios: meltdown fears if poll contested
Crowdsourced election scenarios show sharp falls and correlation breaks if Trump challenges results
Bailed-out basis traders face regulatory backlash
The cash/futures basis trade could be a test case for regulating systemically risky activities
Quants tout alternative carry trades for the ‘new normal’
Low rates and flatlining yield curves leave investors seeking carry in swaps and swaptions
Fight against dirty money falters in blizzard of SARs
Authorities are swamped with suspicious activity reports, many of which are never investigated
Covid policy risk hangs over bank stress tests
Banks and regulators are second-guessing the policy response to new outbreaks
Banks rent ready-made algos for FX trading
NatWest, XTX Markets and others develop new outsourcing model for tech
Forward momentum: the new world of NDF trading
NDF landscape is changing as trading volumes drive electronification and algo execution – but challenges remain
Europe’s clampdown on fund outsourcing chills market
Esma proposals spark worries AIFMD review could wreck existing delegation models
Science friction: some tire of waiting for quantum’s leap
Use cases for new tech are piling up – from CVA to VAR. But so are the obstacles
Broken backtests leave quant researchers at a loss
As historical data loses relevance, quants must find new ways to validate their theories
Escape from Emir? Not so fast, swaps users
Emir Refit, which seemed to promise reporting relief for corporate users, is not a master key
Unsettling times: why is settlement risk on the rise?
Regulators and market participants searching for answers after BIS figures show substantial increase
Alt data aims to shake up credit scoring business
Young firms, using machine learning methods to scrape consumer info, challenge established agency model
Hammer time? Clearers mull co-operation on default auctions
Some CCPs are mooting joint auctions to resolve large defaults – but critics deem them unworkable
Fund managers seek to plug holes in ESG data
Social intel proves elusive as virus reawakens sense of corporate virtue
Autocalamity: can hit product be reinvented?
Spreads on ‘worst-of’ bonds leap 50% as some dealers retreat and others pile on hedges