Feature
A shift in focus
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission chief, Martin Wheatley, has devoted a lot of his staff’s time to revising Hong Kong’s investment products sales practices following large losses by retail investors. But that has not diverted attention from…
Delivering on FX
Banks in the Asia-Pacific region are ramping up their proprietary electronic foreign exchange platforms in an attempt to capture a bigger slice of Asia’s burgeoning forex business. How is the shake-up in the market progressing?
A natural progression?
The widescale demand for catastrophe bonds in Asia has been heralded for many years now. But outside Japan and to a lesser extent Taiwan, overall penetration of catastrophe insurance in Asia remains low. Is this all about to change?
Hedging risks rethink
Sharp moves in foreign exchange currency pairs during the past 18 months have resulted in institutional investors reappraising their currency risks and hedging techniques. Some investors are using new instruments to better match their liquidity profiles…
Solvency sanctuary?
Asian insurance companies have sat up and paid attention to their solvency ratios during the past two years like never before. This has led to unprecedented levels of derivatives take-up. But will this conversion to derivatives last?
The price is wrong
As the basis between Libor and overnight index swap rates ballooned during the credit crisis, banks were forced to reassess methods for pricing collateralised and uncollateralised derivatives trades. The result is a move towards a new market standard in…
Future options
Tomorrow’s derivatives market looks likely to shift away from exotic products to focus more heavily on centrally cleared vanilla trades. Dealers hope to see a big jump in volumes, which will offset a smaller decline in margins. They also have an eye on…
Proprietary raiding
US President Obama in January unveiled a proposal to prevent banks from owning, investing in or sponsoring hedge funds, private equity funds or proprietary trading operations for their own profit. What do authorities mean by ‘prop trading’ and how…
Derivatives caught in the spotlight
Regulators are considering extending transparency requirements to include pre- and post-trade reporting for over-the-counter derivatives. But the industry is keen to spell out the limits of what can be done without damaging investor confidence and…
Ucit hedge funds proceed with caution
A number of hedge fund managers have launched Ucits III-compliant funds in an attempt to attract stickier institutional money. But success is far from guaranteed, with one high-profile fund recently undergoing a restructuring after failing to attract…
Playing the gold card
Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw explosive growth in 2009, but this year has so far seen net outflows of investor capital. However, with inflation fears and sovereign risk high on investors’ agendas, ETF providers expect interest to pick up once…
Loan loss calculation conundrum
Replacing the incurred loss provisioning model remains high on the agenda of accountants, bankers and regulators. The challenge is to find a way to calculate expected loss that satisfies the diverse objectives of all three camps. Can a compromise be…
Sovereign CDS: Cat or canary?
Sovereign credit default swaps have become magnets for controversy amid worries about the condition of government finances. Does the market really reflect the probability of default and has too much attention been paid to it?
The Lehman flip clause flap
The decision of a US bankruptcy court to void contractual provisions that shield investors from the credit risk of swap counterparties in structured finance deals has put the legal systems of England and the US on a collision course. It also has…
Exposing counterparty risk exposure
Banks have focused on improving counterparty credit risk management capabilities since the onset of the financial crisis. How are they changing systems to ensure accurate monitoring of exposures on a real-time basis?
Regulation consternation
Firm proposals for regulating South African hedge funds are due by mid-2010. But some managers question the need for more regulation.
Uncertain liquidity ratios
Like their counterparts elsewhere, South African banks are bracing themselves for a round of changes to Basel II rules. But it is the implications for liquidity and not capital that most concern market participants.
Minor activity
Although South Africa is a major commodity producer, activity by local investors in commodities is minor compared with other markets. While there are efforts to stimulate greater interest, these are being hampered by foreign exchange controls.
Energy Risk's Software Survey and Rankings 2010
Over two-thirds of the respondents to Energy Risk’s 2010 Software Survey say they will be investing in new systems this year, despite the economic downturn. The survey also reveals which systems are preferred by industry participants. Lianna Brinded…
Iraq: the new hope for oil supply security?
As international oil companies wade into Iraq, forecasts for Iraqi production now stand as high as 10 million b/d within the decade. However political uncertainty and poor infrastructure leads analysts to caution against relying on Iraq as the next hope…
AIFM could boost alternative structured pay-off market
The European Union's Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive, the proposed new set of rules for European hedge funds and private equity industries, could adversely boost the structured products market. John Ferry reports
What next for hedge funds in energy?
Hedge funds, which fled the energy markets post-financial crisis, began returning steadily in the second half of 2009. However the influx stopped abruptly at the start of this year. Rachel Morison looks at what’s next for energy hedge funds in the short…
China’s CDM market: Will Shanghai say goodbye to CERs?
With China widely blamed for the failure of Copenhagen, some experts believe CDM investors could now shun the country in favour of India and Brazil, or that the EU may even take action again Chinese CDM certificates, creating a two-tier market. Lianna…
Indian CDM: does it have a future?
The CDM market in India has boomed since its 2007 inception, but its development has been dogged by both domestic and international regulatory uncertainty. Katie Holliday looks at the challenges faced by the Indian CDM market and asks whether it has a…