Cover story
The thirst for liquidity
Bank supervisors the world over are set to revise liquidity requirements for financial institutions in a bid to improve financial stability. But the banking community – already struggling under the weight of new regulation – is not convinced the efforts…
Oil price outlook 2010
Oil prices – which have been rangebound between $65–75 per barrel for most of the second half of the year, averaging just under $61/bbl for 2009 – are forecast to average more than $15 higher next year on expectations of a steady recovery in the global…
Consequences of the cleanup
The UK Financial Services Authority must bolster laws designed to protect investors while ensuring that it takes these actions in sympathy with regulations being introduced at a European level. Richard Jory reports on the actions of the regulator and the…
OTC reforms built to last?
Reform of derivatives markets is gathering pace in the US ahead of a crucial debate in the House of Representatives. But questions remain over exemptions for corporate hedgers and foreign exchange swaps and forwards, meaning the final architecture of the…
Profile: Deepa Chandrasekhar, chief of compliance at United Gulf Bank
A career spanning various banking disciplines in a variety of roles has made Deepa Chandrasekhar, chief of compliance at United Gulf Bank, fluent in the language and customs of the compliance, risk and audit units, meaning she can help them work together…
Hedge funds panacea
Confidence in hedge fund investments has hit an all-time low due to poor performance and fears of fraud after the collapse of Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. Managed accounts offering improved transparency and control over assets are being tout
The road to high yield
The low-risk arbitrage opportunities found in the institutional structured products market this year may not be so common in 2010. Instead, more stable financial markets are expected to herald the return of product lines that can deliver extra yield
Fudge or fix?
Barclays announced in September it had sold $12.3 billion of credit assets to a newly established fund called Protium Finance. The acquisition was largely financed by a loan from Barclays, meaning the bank has insulated itself against further mark-to…
Feeling Secure? Energy Risk's Risk Management Survey 2009
Budget constraints have become the biggest hindrance to effective risk management, and credit is the biggest risk to energy trading, according to respondents of Energy Risk’s 2009 Risk Management Survey. Rachel Morison presents the results
All in his stride
Hamish Lock had to hit the ground running when he became head of op risk at Bank of Montreal just over a year ago. But taking on a new risk role amid a global financial crisis hasn't fazed him, and he is already well on the way towards achieving his new…
Institutional memory
Ninety-year-old TIAA-Cref is one of the US’s oldest providers of retirement services and came into the financial crisis with experience of past crises galore. But did history help it when the crunch bit, and how will its business model learn from this…
Battle formations
Major Chinese entities and international banks are steeling themselves for a protracted battle on multiple fronts related to the use of over-the-counter derivatives. The confrontation is killing business and preventing some Chinese entities from hedging…
Commodity ETPs: limited viability?
Commodity exchange-traded products face an uncertain future unless they can adapt to regulations seeking to impose strict limits on firms’ commodities positions, while fighting competition from products designed to circumvent the new rules entirely…
The liquidity lifeline
The Basel Committee intends to introduce internationally binding liquidity standards, to include both a requirement for a liquid assets buffer and longer-term structural funding constraints. How will the measures be calculated and what will the…
Building demand
One year after the collapse of Lehmans, fundamentals for the energy and metals markets continue to evolve, with emerging market demand, especially from China, set to have an increasing impact. Pauline McCallion discusses the outlook with experts
The hybrid split
Insurers’ capital management has relied heavily on hybrid debt over the last decade – a strategy that has come under threat from Ceiops' latest Solvency II proposals. Aaron Woolner reports
He who laughs last
Professor Leon Metzger is a seasoned campaigner on the importance of internal controls within asset management firms, and has faced ridicule over the years from those who valued returns over operational controls. Then along came Madoff. No-one's laughing…
Capital changes
Financial supervisors have reaffirmed the importance of common equity and disclosed reserves in Tier I capital. But the direction of discussions on hybrids in Tier I and the relative importance of Tier II is causing concerns in Asia. Harry Thompson…
The chemistry of compensation
Regulators across the world are clamping down on executive compensation in a bid to align employee remuneration with sound risk management principles. Despite the good intentions, many of the proposals could have unintended consequences. Peter Madigan…