Feature
Blue Sky delivers defensive auto-call plan offering 8%
Blue Sky Asset Management (Bsam) has unveiled its six-year Capital Accumulator Auto-Call Plan - Defensive Series, offering 8% potential annual growth and an early kick-out. The plan has a defensive auto-call feature which closes the plan early, providing…
NYSE Euronext launches online screener for exchange-traded products
NYSE Euronext has unveiled an online screener for exchange-traded products (ETPs) listed on its US and European markets. The screener helps users to search for exchange-traded funds, notes, warrants and certificates, by classification, key words, symbols…
LNG fundamentals - Natural selection
The LNG market for Europe and Asia has been traditionally tight, but new supply looks set to change market dynamics. Katie Holliday reports
The sum of all parts
The recent financial crisis has put enterprise-wide risk management firmly in the spotlight. Pauline McCallion looks at how this increased interest could advance ERM, and asks whether total ERM can ever be fully achieved
Cultural exchange
EEX and Powernext's agreement to share their electricity spot and derivatives markets represents groundbreaking Franco-German energy market co-operation. The CEOs of both exchanges talk to Roderick Bruce about the challenges involved and what the merged…
Getting the measure of it
Measuring risk in the face of a lack of data is one of the greatest challenges for energy risk managers, say respondents of our risk management survey. Stella Farrington sets out this year's findings
Slipping and sliding away
Are fundamentals behind oil's steep price increase and subsequent fall, or was it the bursting of a speculative bubble? Mauricio Bermudez-Neubauer and Paulo Homem Cristo of Point Carbon assess the impact of fundamental and non-fundamental drivers on…
The big finance freeze
Falling oil and gas prices, the credit squeeze and the economic slump are combining to hit energy project investment, while lack of trust in financial markets has sidelined structured products. By Maria Kielmass
LNG pricing - Moving forward
While the bulk of global LNG volumes remain locked up in opaque long-term deals, attempts are being made to introduce price transparency and a forward curve to the market. Roderick Bruce investigates
Boom or bust for US LNG?
The US has been gearing up to import LNG in the face of declining domestic supply, but imports are still less than 20% of the country's LNG terminal capacity. Stephen Makowka and Kenneth Grant of Compass Lexecon report
Deutsche Bank structured equity sales head departs amid cuts
Kim Gayer has left his position as managing director and global head of structured equity sales at Deutsche Bank, a role which was based in London. The bank declined to comment on his departure.
SEC toughens rules for credit rating agencies
Daily news headlines
Legal action spreads to losses on Lehman exchange-traded notes
Arbitrations in the US have now expanded to recovering losses made as a result of investments in Lehman exchange-traded notes (ETNs). Around 20 law firms are now investigating the sale of principal protected Lehman notes (PPNs) in the US, which have been…
Investors opt for ETFs to provide transparency and liquidity
Investors are increasingly turning to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) over other investment vehicles such as structured products, swaps and certificates, amid concerns surrounding counterparty risk, transparency and liquidity, according to the latest…
Barclays Wealth launches more defined returns plans
Barclays Wealth has launched a new defined returns plan series, backed by Barclays Bank. DRP Capital Protection offers the benefit of full capital protection in three forms: a three-year at 18%, a four-year at 28%, and a five-year at 40%.
Protected equity loans fall out of favour in Australia
Protected equity loans in Australia have fallen out of favour with investors as a result of the Australian Tax Office reducing the maximum interest deduction on May 13 this year. The benchmark interest rate in the capital-protected borrowing rules was…
Volatility, correlation and dividend losses sting banks
Volatility and deals based on dividends joined correlation as a major way for banks to lose money in the third quarter of 2008. Like losses on correlation in the first quarter, it remains true that the bigger the structured products operation, the bigger…
Precious metals ETFs listed in New York
Proshares has listed four new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the Arca platform of the New York Stock Exchange. The ETFs offer 200% long or short leveraged participation in gold and silver.
Société Générale unveils 143 covered warrants and 15 turbos in UK
Société Générale (SG) has released a range of 143 covered warrants tracking the FTSE indexes and major commodities, as well as 15 turbos based on UK equities. The newly-launched covered warrants boost the total number of issues to 194 in two weeks by SG…
EU to consult on hedge fund regulations
EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy will introduce a consultation paper on the supervision and regulation of hedge funds later this week.
Thai bourse plans to add an ETF and derivative warrants
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (Set) aims to introduce an exchange-traded fund (ETF), derivative warrants, gold futures and an Islamic fund in 2009, as well as boost retail and institutional investor numbers. Set also intends on being listed by 2011, as…