Feature
Where rocky horror assets go
With injections of government capital seemingly having little effect on restoring confidence in ailing banks, thoughts have once again turned to quarantining distressed assets. Rob Davies examines the options available to policy-makers
The short story
The UK Financial Services Authority ended its ban on short selling of financial stocks on January 16. How have financial stocks performed since the restrictions were lifted? Christopher Whittall investigates
Plugging the gaps
The various post mortems into the causes of the financial crisis have highlighted weaknesses in bank risk management practices. In particular, many banks approached risk on a silo basis, with little attention given to firm-wide exposures. Are banks…
Risk and compliance pivotal in setting compensation
Editor's blog
Swiss exchange launches collateral option to bolster market
Swiss structured product providers will now be able to collateralise the listings that they trade on Scoach, the national exchange. Providers have responded positively to the initiative, which may provide a much-needed boost to the Swiss structured…
Pacini promoted, Tranter departs as BNP merges sales roles
BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking in London has merged sales roles in its equity derivatives operation under the leadership of Jean-Eric Pacini. Pacini's expanded sales role includes responsibility for flow sales, a business previously headed up…
US Wrap: Flows stabilise as Deutsche Bank broadens US equity exposure
Seven issues were added to a consistent week of issuance yesterday. Alongside the staple of S&P 500-linked products, Deutsche added a broader slice of US equity exposure, with an accelerated growth product linked to the Russell 2000 index, the S&P 400…
Deutsche offers inverse ETF to Asian market
Db x-trackers, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) arm of Deutsche Bank, has launched four new ETFs on the Singapore Stock Exchange including Asia's first inverse fund, the S&P 500 Short ETF, which tracks downwards moves in the S&P 500.
Appetite for financials tested in Mexico
Mexican distributor Actinver has placed an individual call cap structure linked to the yield of a basket of financial stocks. The trade is structured by Société Générale and issued by Société Générale Acceptance.
Investec rolls latest offerings off production line
Investec Structured Products has launched its seventh suite of structured trades comprising accumulation, investment and income plans all linked to the FTSE 100 index. In the income category is the five-year FTSE 100 and RPI Combination Plan 6, which…
Double-short ETFs launched to hedge market falls
EasyETF, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider, has listed five new funds on NYSE Euronext Paris. Three of the funds offer double leverage on the downside of European equity indexes, as a means of providing a hedge against further market falls.
CDS: US and European banks continue to tighten
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Thursday February 26)
CDS: Banks tighten after midweek blow out
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Tuesday February 24 & Wednesday 25)
US Wrap: Reverse convertible issuance slows from dominant providers
Reverse convertibles made up five of the eight new products issued in the US market yesterday, signalling a continued uptick in the structure's popularity. However, it appears that the most aggressive providers are showing more caution than they were…
US Wrap: S&P 500 exposure for the cautious and the confident
Two different plays were offered by Morgan Stanley on the S&P 500 yesterday, catering for conservative and more aggressive outlooks. One is a five-year principal protected note which offers 100% participation in the index and a capped return of 67-77%…
CDS: US bank levels blow out
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Friday February 20)
CDS: European banks continue to widen; US banks tighten
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Monday February 23)
US Wrap: Single S&P 500-linked product closes erratic week
Morgan Stanley issued a single product to close the US structured products week on Friday. The product banks on a bullish trend in the S&P 500, offering 200% participation in the index over two years up to a capped return of between 46% and 52%. Capital…
Fraud wreckage emerging at an alarming rate
Editor's blog
US Wrap: Reverse convertibles strike back on February’s busiest day
The US market had its busiest day of the month yesterday, waking up a moribund week. The 30-product flurry consisted of 25 Barclays-issued reverse convertible notes.
US Wrap: Barclays presents in quiet markets
Signs of life appeared in the US market yesterday following zero issuance on Tuesday. Barclays Capital launched four reverse convertible notes, confirming the revival of the structure. One of the products was linked to the equity of Burger King, amid…
CDS: Citi continues to widen
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Thursday February 19)