Feature
The future for Basel II
With Basel II delayed yet again, will revisions to the capital Accord happen at all? David Rowe says Basel I is the best argument for persevering, but any revisions must address regulatory arbitrage problems and take greater account of the full range of…
Static data moves forward
Firms tackling high-speed and information-intensive tasks such as straight-through processing or risk management without accurate instrument and counterparty reference data may be taking enormous operational and credit risks. Clive Davidson reports on…
Job moves
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: - “The perception of government support may induce the counterparties of government-sponsored enterprises to apply less vigorously some of the risk controls that they apply to manage their over-the-counter derivatives exposures”…
Trading commodities and correlation
Dealers are devising commodity derivatives products to attract new investors desperate for an alternative to the poorly performing financial markets
Dealers debate regime change in US interest rate volatility
Has the US interest rate options market entered a new period of sustained higher implied volatility? Deutsche Bank says yes, but other leading dollar interest rate derivatives dealers say it is too early to tell. Mortgage investors and options writers…
Mixed outlook for derivatives staff
After a disappointing 2001, the job market for derivatives specialists looks set to rebound this year in certain areas, while other areas remain stagnant or face even further declines. Gallagher Polyn identifies the hot spots and those areas to avoid in…
Retail product design innovations
Retail investors the world over are looking for alternatives to the faltering stock and fixed-income markets. Derivatives dealers looking to tap this demand are rolling out new products and revising old ones for the retail audience. John Ferry and Navroz…
Fewer options in 2001 | A Risk survey
The foreign exchange options market cooled off significantly last year, as September 11 and lower forex volatility kept dealers away. Risk’s third annual survey of 13 large forex options houses reveals that their combined 2001 volumes fell by $1.1…
Credit Markets Update: Repsol spreads widen due to Argentina concerns
The cost of credit protection on Repsol, the Spanish-Argentine oil and energy group, widened 30 basis points today after Moody’s placed it under review for possible downgrade yesterday. Moody’s concerns reflected the ongoing deterioration in the economic…
GFI and ACM offer online freight derivatives
New York-based brokerage GFI has teamed with shipping brokers ACM in London to offer online freight derivatives trading on GFInet, the firm’s electronic broking platform.
LSE predicts UK equity derivatives surge
Clara Furse, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), today warned that stamp duty on UK share trading could increasingly damage London’s competitive advantage in international financial markets and thereby reduce the likelihood of the UK…