Feature
Crude but credible
Regulators are warming to the idea of introducing a leverage ratio to limit the excessive build-up of assets on bank balance sheets. But they face an uphill battle to create an internationally consistent measure that addresses differences in accounting…
Providers bank on Russia recovery
Arc Capital and Income has launched the second tranche of its Emerging Markets Russia plan for UK investors. The latest issue follows the launch of four new tradeable Russian sector indexes on March 31 by the Vienna Stock Exchange (VSE), which are…
Badie to partner at Allen & Overy in London
Parya Badie has been promoted to partner in the London offices of law firm Allen & Overy.
JP Morgan strengthens business in India
JP Morgan has appointed Kaku Nakhate as vice chairperson of the bank's Indian operations. Nakhate will be responsible for cash equities, equity derivatives and futures and options, while having a supervisory role for the custody business in India. Mumbai…
CDS: Spreads narrow on financials, ICICI trading under 400bp
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Thursday April 30)
Playing Russia’s game
Rachel Morison examines the current investor appetite for Russian oil E&P
Profile
To celebrate its 15th anniversary Energy Risk is conducting interviews with veterans who have shaped today's energy markets. This month Katie Holliday talks with energy risk management guru Vincent Kaminski, professor at Houston's Rice University, and…
Summer 2009
The latest on investment and finance within the environmental and renewables sectors. In-depth features on the VERs market, US solar power contracts, waste-to-energy and a Q&A with Earth Capital Partners
Russia rewires
The break-up of Russia's power monopoly, RAO Unified Energy System, in July 2008 heralded a new dawn for the sector and a key point in the lengthy liberalisation process. But privatisation coincided with the economy's crash. Roderick Bruce examines the…
Safe haven
Gold has been a favourite with investors looking for a safe haven since last year’s turbulence began. But will this persist in 2009, or will the precious metal start to lose its shine as a hedging option? Pauline McCallion finds out
Beyond compliance
Community-level emission reduction projects are in demand as compliance buyers diversify carbon offset portfolios and corporates seek out sustainable green projects. Voluntary and compliance market methodologies and pricing are therefore becoming…
Blue Sky offers new growth plans
UK distributor Blue Sky Asset Management has launched the second issue of its Protected and Guaranteed Growth plans, which are designed to provide exposure to the FTSE 100 index.
US Wrap: Citi offers PCs and McDonald's
Citi launched two reverse convertibles into the US yesterday. They were the only two products launched as issuance has failed to pick up momentum. The notes link to the reference stock of Intel Corp or McDonald's.
CDS: US banks narrow
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Wednesday April 29)
Stoxx index to underlie new exchange-traded fund
The Dow Jones Stoxx 50 index has been licensed to ETFlab Investment to underlie a new exchange-traded fund (ETF). The index, which is one of the benchmarks for European equity performance, includes blue-chip super sector leaders from 18 countries across…
Exchange-traded commodity investments dominate structured products
Exchange-traded products (ETPs) continued to dominate structured products as the premier choice for commodity investment in Q1 2009, new research by Barclays Capital has shown. The assets under management (AUM) of ETPs, which includes both listed…
CDS: US bank spreads continue to widen
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Tuesday April 28)
US Wrap: ABN branches into new structure and Chinese equity on offer
ABN Amro managed to issue a product other than its standard reverse convertible, on a more adventurous day for the US market which also saw Morgan Stanley put Chinese equity on offer. ABN's product was a kick out note linked to the S&P 500. The bank has…
Credit Suisse has FX Factor
Swiss dealer Credit Suisse has launched its FX Factor index, which is designed to provide exposure to a portfolio of macroeconomic and market-driven FX strategies comprising carry, momentum, valuation, growth, terms of trade and emerging markets. The…
CDS: Spreads remain stable but BofA widens to 294bp
Credit default swap 5-year mid-levels for structured products issuers (Thursday April 23, Friday April 24 and Monday April 27)
US Wrap: Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs both straddle US equity
Two issuers launched straddle products into the US market at the close of last week, offering investors a non-directional play on the S&P 500 index. Goldman Sachs launched an 18-month product which pays 100% participation in the index in either direction…
Johansson departs UBS after 12 months
Jerker Johansson, the chief executive officer of UBS Investment Bank, has resigned from the bank with immediate effect, after just over one year spent with the institution. Johansson will be replaced by two new co-heads from within UBS: Carsten Kengeter…
Keydata launches online valuation service
Keydata has unveiled a new online valuation tool which allows independent financial advisers (IFAs) to access pricing for their clients' live structured products on the UK distributor's website.