Infrastructure
Market snapshot
Market Analysis
Perpetual in motion
Perpetual
Structuring with caution
Zurich
Dead in the water?
Basel II
Clear benefits
The role of central counterparties is being given increased prominence in the over-the-counter markets, with regulators calling for clearing houses for credit derivatives. But how do central counterparties manage their risks? By Clive Davidson
Swiss exchange launches collateral option to bolster market
Swiss structured product providers will now be able to collateralise the listings that they trade on Scoach, the national exchange. Providers have responded positively to the initiative, which may provide a much-needed boost to the Swiss structured…
FDIC: 252 US banks now at risk
The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) now has 252 banks on its "problem list", and the industry has dipped into the red for the first time in almost two decades.
Investec rolls latest offerings off production line
Investec Structured Products has launched its seventh suite of structured trades comprising accumulation, investment and income plans all linked to the FTSE 100 index. In the income category is the five-year FTSE 100 and RPI Combination Plan 6, which…
Speculation over regulation mounts as Madoff lawsuits rack up
European investment funds are preparing to face tighter regulation in the wake of the Madoff scandal.
Low recovery rates set for Ferretti LCDS
At an auction held today, data vendor Markit and broker Creditex determined a final settlement value of 10.875% for loan-only credit default swaps (LCDS) referencing Italian luxury yacht manufacturer Ferretti, meaning protection sellers would need to pay…
Madoff feeders' due diligence attacked as lawsuits mount
Investors that lost billions of dollars to Bernard Madoff have filed several class-action lawsuits claiming massive due diligence failures by fund managers who placed money into the alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme, even though scant detail has emerged…
New single-name CDS sparks hedging worries
Plans to reshape the US single-name credit default swap (CDS) market are causing concerns among some credit portfolio managers, due to a limit on their ability to get capital relief for hedges under Basel II.
Liffe blames regulatory uncertainty for lack of CDS clearing
Despite being the only firm to launch a centralised clearing platform for credit default swap (CDS) index trades, London-based derivatives exchange NYSE Liffe has yet to clear any trades, a situation it blames on the uncertain regulatory landscape in…
LCH.Clearnet bid sparks conflict-of-interest debate
A proposal by a consortium of major derivatives dealers to acquire London-based clearing house LCH.Clearnet has led to suggestions that banks becoming intimately involved in the clearing process could present a conflict of interest.
Trichet: Eurozone CCP will help improve oversight
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet backed a central counterparty (CCP) for clearing credit default swap (CDS) trades in the eurozone today, in a speech that also called for banker compensation to be linked to avoiding excessive leverage.
Banks agree to EU CCP for clearing CDS
Daily news headlines
More MCAs needed to meet equity derivatives targets
Participants in the equity derivatives market say a significant amount of work remains to be done on standardising documentation before it can meet regulators' electronic processing targets for over-the-counter trades.
Banks agree to EU CCP for clearing CDS
Nine major dealers agreed to use an EU central counterparty (CCP) for clearing trades in credit default swaps (CDSs) today, paving the way for talks to resume with the European Commission.
Auction fixes low recovery rates for Smurfit-Stone CDS
At an auction held today, data vendor Markit and broker Creditex determined final settlement values for credit derivatives trades referencing St Louis- and Chicago-based paper-packaging company Smurfit-Stone Container.