Foreign exchange
S&P promises reforms as regulators ponder ratings oversight
Rating agency Standard & Poor's has revealed a list of planned changes aimed at preventing conflicts of interest and restoring confidence in its ratings, as an international regulators' conference suggested tighter restrictions on rating agencies.
Surprise over "severe" Fitch CDO cuts
Fitch Ratings has outlined possible changes to its approach to rating collateralised debt obligations (CDOs), with downgrades potentially far deeper than the market expected.
Risk linked with Asian banks ‘mispriced’, says RBS
The credit risk associated with Asian banks is being mispriced by the financial markets and the region’s relatively stronger credit outlook, compared with Europe and the US, makes bank debt potentially an attractive investment opportunity, according to…
Three EU countries face legal action over Mifid
The European Commission (EC) is referring member states the Czech Republic, Poland and Spain to the European Court of Justice over non-implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid).
SG downgrade throws shadow over structured products
The €4.9 billion loss at Société Générale (SG), blamed by the bank on a single rogue trader, has drawn attention to counterparty credit risk within the structured products industry.
Barclays offers volatility adjusted emerging markets exposure
Barclays Wealth has launched a new structured product offering protected exposure to emerging markets while adjusting for volatility. The five-year product is linked to the performance of the exchange traded fund (ETF) that tracks the iShares MSCI…
ETF Securities to launch entire range of ETCs
ETF Securities will introduce 33 short exchange traded commodities (ETCs) and 33 leveraged ETCs, providing listed access to an entire platform of short and leveraged commodity indexes.
Lack of legal action over Mifid so far
Despite last year’s warnings from regulators saying they would punish financial institutions who had not complied with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid) in time for the November 1 deadline, no European Union member states or UK-based…
Fitch sees rise in Asian securitisation in 2008
Fitch Ratings expects overall issuance in the non-Japan Asian cross-border securitisation market to rise after pricing conditions stablise in 2008 and following stagnant growth in 2007, the agency said in a report issued on February 4.
The right tools: equities vs CFDs vs spreads
Synthetic Prime Brokerage
From alpha to beta
Michael Azlen, founder of Frontier Capital Management, explains to David Walker why he is no alpha fan
The Power of HOLT™
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Editor's letter
Editorial
The Citi Guide to Structured Product Terminology
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Academy Insight
Corporate statement
Less is more
Utilities are leading the chorus for greater energy efficiency in the US. But, as David Watkins discovers, their drive to secure profits while selling less power is proving to be a major regulatory challenge
Tony Cocker
Tony Cocker, CEO of E.ON Energy Trading, is tasked with leading a new centralised European trading hub. It's a challenge he relishes, he tells Andrew Holt
The business of saying no
Rising energy prices have caused an upturn in demand response - or energy curtailment - in the last two years. Elisa Wood looks at how this is impacting power markets
Joint efforts pay off
Central banks
Rocked to the core
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