Foreign exchange
Bank of England will swap gilts for RMBS
The Bank of England will step in to improve the balance sheets of UK banks by allowing them to swap illiquid mortgage-backed securities for treasury bills.
Crude surpasses $117 amid supply disruptions
Crude oil for May delivery hit an all time high of $117.76 per barrel in intraday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) today, closing at $117.48/bbl.
BlueNext launches EUA Futures
Environmental exchange BlueNext has listed its first derivatives contracts, offering EU Allowance (EUA) futures with December 2008 to 2012 maturities.
Heed the warning signs
Editor's blog
StanChart nabs Lehman talent for new structured products team
Standard Chartered Bank is strengthening its structured products capability with the creation of a new team. As part of the move, Lehman Brothers’ Remy Klammers has been appointed global head of fixed income trading, a new position which will amalgamate…
Lyxor launches four new ETFs with exposure to Asia and Eastern Europe
Lyxor Asset Management, the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) arm of Société Générale, has launched four new ETFs offering access to South Korea, Hong Kong, Turkey and Eastern Europe, through shares traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
Crude tops $116 in volatile trading
Crude oil for May delivery hit an all time high of $116.10 per barrel in intraday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) today.
Evans joins Citi as subprime losses mount
Citi yesterday announced that it had hired Richard Evans as chief risk officer for its institutional clients group.
Dealers work towards clearing house for credit derivatives
A group of dealers hoping to avoid the systemic implications of counterparty risk are working with the Clearing Corporation on the establishment of a central clearing house for certain credit derivatives products.
New $115 high for crude
Crude oil for May delivery hit an all time high of over $115 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) today.
Barclays Capital boosts power market analysis
The investment banking division of Barclays Bank has acquired the assets of Powerlytix, a provider of fundamental market data analysis for the US electricity and natural gas markets.
Banks pack ailing debt into PDCF collateral
Investment banks could be getting rid of unsaleable high-risk loans by using them as collateral to borrow funds from the Federal Reserve through the primary dealer credit facility (PDCF).
Basel Committee aims to improve banking resilience
Daily news headlines
New Crude High on Supply Woes
Crude oil for May delivery hit an all time high of $113.93 in intraday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) today
GSEs could endanger US credit rating
Exposure to government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could threaten the US government's AAA credit rating, New York-based rating agency Standard & Poor's has warned.
MBS capital charges coming soon in Basel II shake-up
Basel II capital requirements on structured credit products are to be raised as part of a wide-ranging review of risk management practices for financial institutions in G-7 nations, the Financial Stability Forum (FSF) has announced.
MSCI offers volatility
MSCI Barra has launched the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility indexes designed to reflect a minimum-variance or managed volatility equity strategy that focuses on absolute return and volatility.
Is the AMA procyclical?
Editor's blog
Paladyne and Numerix partner
Pricing and risk analytics provider Numerix and alternative investment technology vendor Paladyne Systems have agreed to integrate Numerix trading, pricing and analytical toolset within Paladyne’s hedge fund platform. The move is designed to allow…
Barcap aims to capture FX volatility
Barclays Capital has launched three FX Volatility indexes: the BetaVol, Smart BetaVol and AlphaVol. The indexes, which are designed to provide both portfolio diversification and event hedge protection against sudden market downturns, have been assembled…
Banks vow to improve transparency
The Institute of International Finance (IIF), a banking industry trade group, has promised to improve transparency about risk exposure and executive pay in the wake of the credit crisis.
Downgrades not the end of CPDO market
The last few months have seen massive downgrades of constant proportion debt obligations (CPDOs), but the worst could be over for the sector.