Feature
SGX derivatives and ETFs smash records in September
Singapore Exchange (SGX) has seen its derivatives and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) markets set new trading records in September 2008. In the period from July-September, a record 17,369,505 derivatives contracts were traded, marking a 17% increase from…
NDFA releases fifth issue of fixed income plan
NDFA has released its fifth Regular Fixed Income Plan October 08, which benefits from the tax efficiencies for dividend income from non-UK shares. The five and a half-year plan is linked to the FTSE 100 and provides either an annual income of 7.5% per…
Entering an era of hard-line regulation
Editor's blog
Cater Allen Private Banking launches financial recovery product
Cater Allen Private Banking has launched a new product exposing investors to the recovery of the UK banking sector, issued by Abbey National Treasury Services. The Selected UK Banking Plan 2, which is autocallable, is linked to the performance of HSBC,…
DBS Bank aims to compensate investors in event of missell
DBS Bank in Singapore and Hong Kong will take responsibility for products it sold linked to Lehman Brothers if an investigation into misselling of the products yields any evidence. Compensation to investors will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The…
Barcap launches equity volatility index family
Barclays Capital has launched a new index designed to exploit the volatility of equity markets. The Vertex index family uses a strategy based around implied volatility which the bank is mooting as an effective insurance tool for underlying equity…
HK SFC posts list of unlisted retail structured products
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has posted a list of unlisted retail structured products on the InvestED website as a reference for investors. The list contains a brief description of the product type, the underlying assets and the…
Lehman’s CDS mess
Editor's blog
Lehman’s CDS mess
Editor's blog
NDFA delivers Fixed Income and Growth Kick Out Plans
NDFA has launched its Fixed Income Plan September 08, which draws on the tax efficiencies for dividend income from non-UK shares. This effectively enables basic rate taxpayers to receive non-UK dividends tax-free and higher rate taxpayers have rates…
Quantum goes for gold and energy
Quantum Asset Management has released three plans linked to commodities including gold and oil, in the belief that long-term investors should be increasing their exposure to energy commodities and gold in particular. The five and a half-year Protected…
UK Banks await clarification on £250 billion unsecured debt guarantee
UK banks, which are planning to participate in the government’s rescue plan for financial institutions, are awaiting clarification on how the temporary underwriting of the issuance of new unsecured debt instruments will affect structured products. The…
MAS publishes timeline for Minibond resolution process
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has published a timeline for the resolution process for investors who bought Lehman Minibonds. The trustee (HSBC Institutional Trust Services Singapore), which is in charge of overseeing the Minibond products,…
Every cloud...
The weather derivatives marketcontinues to gain end-user, hedge fundand investor interest. Roderick Bruceexamines the forecast and finds a silverlining on the current Wall Street cloud
Out of gas
High US gasoline prices are causing Americans to turn to energy-efficientvehicles, a trend that could have an enormous and long-term impact ongasoline demand, some experts say. Kate Fazzini investigates
A grounded business
As high fuel costs force many airlines to introduce fuel efficiencyprogrammes and even resort to grounding aircraft, Katie Holliday looksat the likely effects of these measures on jet fuel demand and price inthe coming months
Pricing volumetric risk
Sergey Kolos and Konstantin Mardanov of Citi Commodities presenta general framework for pricing contracts with volumetric risk.They concentrate on a simple payoff and focus the discussion on themain challenge of such contracts, the pricing of the…
Natural gas caught by an energy price wave
US natural gas prices have been dragged up by crude oil prices despitehaving different fundamentals. Eric Fishhaut at GlobalView Softwarecharts the trend
Safe to come out?
As energy traders take stock after the unprecedented market turmoil of September, the Energy Risk team asks a range of key players what effects they expect the investment banking crisis to have on commodities trading and risk management
Funds warn against stifling trade
Recent moves to increase regulation in oil markets are stifling trade and won't bring down prices, warn fund managers
Turkey's political pipelines
Turkey's strategic position at the crossroads of East and West has put it at the centre of a geopolitical tug-of-war, with energy supply a key driver. Robert Amsterdam examines the energy policies being brought to bear in the region
ETRM evolution
As energy trading and risk management systems become increasingly sophisticated, Rana Basu of TradeCapture looks at what users need to consider as they progress from implementing and using the most basic to the most complex systems
Minibond trustee in Singapore searches for new swap counterparty
Singapore investors, which bought Lehman Minibonds, have requested the trustee of the products to consider all proposals for a new swap counterparty to replace Lehman Brothers for all series of the Minibond programme. The request came after the trustee,…
Hong Kong Minibond distributors may buy back products
Hong Kong distributors, which sold Lehman Minibonds to retail investors, could possibly buy back the products at the prevailing market price under a proposal put forward by the Hong Kong financial secretary. Under the proposal the trustee of the…