Markets
There aren’t many people who exclusively trade derivatives these days – buy-side execution desks increasingly work across product silos. As a title that has spent most of its life focusing on derivatives, Risk.net has had to broaden its coverage.
This category is home to trading and execution coverage that ventures beyond derivatives, but retains a focus on interesting, structural issues. Among other topics, you’ll find articles here on repo and funding, bonds and yield curves, front-office technology, operational efficiency, clearing and margining.
MassMutual drives JP Morgan’s FX forwards surge with insurers
Counterparty Radar: Bank’s total values rise 72% in Q4 to crack top 10 dealer rankings for first time since Q2 last year
Fast LPs accuse rivals of maxing out last look response times
Firms with sub-10ms checks complain of losing volumes to slower rivals, prompting one to ditch ECNs
US life insurer index options market hits $1trn mark
Counterparty Radar: Lincoln Financial emerges as top player in Q4 with $43 billion portfolio increase
Allianz Life halves index CDS book in Q4
Counterparty Radar: Move by US market behemoth pushes life insurers’ notional down by almost 40%
Isda survey explores refresh of FX derivatives rule book
Lawyers agree updates to definitions are needed, but some areas of focus may prove controversial
Citi becomes top single-name CDS dealer for US life insurers
Counterparty Radar: New York bank bests Barclays as sector contracts by $340 million at the end of 2022
State Street triples repo book to become top US fund dealer
Counterparty Radar: Pimco trades boost Boston bank as sector volumes hold steady in Q4
Hedge funds’ use of barrier options comes under spotlight
Former traders say Glen Point CEO’s arrest highlights compliance gulf between funds and dealers
Citi catapults to top credit options dealer spot for US funds
Counterparty Radar: Market for mutual funds, ETFs continues to shrink in Q4 as Pimco, PGIM further cut exposures
Some investors see value in beaten-down AT1s
CoCos are trading at a discount on fears that European issuers won’t call the bonds. But buy-siders say this risk is overstated
Calamos grows equity index options book amid put U-turn
Counterparty Radar: US retail funds cut $39.3 billion notional in Q4
Athene dominates FX forwards market for US life insurers
Counterparty Radar: Morgan Stanley claims top dealer spot in $56 billion sector
Capital Group, BMR double down on bought index CDSs
Counterparty Radar: Market for US mutual funds contracts in Q4 for the first time in eight quarters
US life insurers retained inflation hedges despite CPI drop
Counterparty Radar: John Hancock is biggest user of inflation swaps among US insurers, BNPP the largest dealer
BofA claims top swaptions dealer spot for US life insurers
Counterparty Radar: Sector-wide exposures grew 35% in Q4 2022 on the back of large MetLife trades
US life insurers’ IR swaps usage hits $1.2trn in Q4 2022
Counterparty Radar: MassMutual is largest user of the instrument, finds our new analysis of industry filings
BloombergGPT: Terminal giant enters the LLM race
New large language model aims to supercharge Terminal’s ability to provide sentiment, charting and search
Pricing in volatile markets and potential regulatory impact
A combination of volatile and turbulent prices, challenges for valuation and the introduction of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 2a-5 means data specialists are more essential than ever for investment firms
Morgan Stanley scores big with swaption trades
Counterparty Radar: Mutual funds increase pace of transition from USD Libor to SOFR in Q4 2022
Putnam adds $18bn to interest rate swaps book
Counterparty Radar: Market for mutual funds and ETFs grew to $677 trillion in Q4 2022
Bank ALM crisis leaves FX hedgers with steeper roll costs
Spreads on EUR/USD forwards jumped more than fourfold in past two weeks
TMX eyes spot crypto trading launch next year
Exchange group would become first in North America to offer direct access to spot market in digital assets
Mutual funds dump two-thirds of FX options positions in Q4
Counterparty Radar: Morgan Stanley Investment Management leads fall in volumes with big cuts to RMB trades
Tales from the crypto prompt calls for FX-style market structures
Demands for interdealers and prime brokers to be brought into crypto market in wake of FTX debacle