Structured products
Unfit for consumption
Special Report: Commodity Futures
On the backburner
Special Report: Credit derivatives
Corporates burned
Cover story
An auspicious debut
Risk Korea conference
The blame game
Accounting
Points of principle
Liquidity risk
Ratings agencies must try harder, Sifma says
A report from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (Sifma), a New York-based industry lobby group, has criticised efforts by the major credit rating agencies to reform themselves.
Ambac clears deck of $1.4 billion CDO-squared
New York-based bond insurer Ambac has rid its books of exposure to a $1.4 billion collateralised debt obligation-squared (CDO-squared) transaction, by commuting a guarantee written on it for arranger Citi.
Truth and responsibility
The meltdown in subprime collateralised debt obligations will affect financial markets for years. One likely result will be a renewed market willingness to reward sound credit underwriting - and therein lies a valuable business opportunity, argues David…
Restructuring reservations
Restructuring
Stuck on structures
Editor's letter
BarCap works to revive life insurance securitisation
For Barclays Capital, a recent £250 million ($495 million) securitisation of part of UK insurer Aegon Scottish Equitable’s life portfolio proves there’s life left in the life insurance securitisation market.
MSCI Barra produces global currency indexes
MSCI Barra has launched global currency indexes that can be licensed for portfolio management and benchmarking purposes, as well as to serve as the basis of structured products and other index-linked investment vehicles such as ETFs.
Arc launches latest Stepped Kick Out offering 11% return
Arc Capital & Income has launched the sixth issue of its Stepped Kick Out plan, linked to the FTSE 100 index. The six-year, three-week plan offers 11% at the end of the first year and matures if the index is at or above its opening level on the first…
Barclays Wealth enhances defined return plans
Barclays Wealth has bumped up the rates on its latest range of defined returns plan (DRP) investments, offering 24% in the three-year option (up from 20%), 36% in the four-year (from 30%), and 48% from the five-year (from 40%). The new products are…