Structured products
SEC lifts final barrier to single-stock futures trading
The final barrier to the trading of single-stock futures (SSFs) in the US was removed yesterday when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved customer margin rules. Earlier this month, the SEC’s regulatory partner, the US Commodity Futures…
Goldman Sachs claims proprietary leap in MBS options pricing
Goldman Sachs claims it has developed a revolutionary new model for pricing mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Alan Brazil, head of mortgage, ABS and rates research at Goldman Sachs in New York, said the new valuation model enables the increasing…
CreditTrade prepares credit volatility pricing tool
Credit derivatives inter-broker dealer and data provider CreditTrade is developing an algorithm to price options on credit default swaps for 20-25 European corporate credits.
Further surge in investment grade synthetic CDO issuance expected, says BofA
A further surge in static and managed corporate synthetic collateralised debt obligation (CDO) issuance is expected this year, according to new research by Bank of America.
Japan Credit Market Update: Spreads track US and Europe wider
Japanese credit default swap spreads were wider this week, tracking the trends in the US and Europe in a generally bear market, traders said.
Credit Markets Update: European spreads contract in thin trading
European credit default swaps spreads have tightened following the release of better-than-expected results from several high-profile companies and improved sentiment in the telecoms sector. But liquidity was low, traders said.
Deutsche Bank launches US mortgage total return swap
Deutsche Bank is offering a total return swap product based on its US Mortgage TBA index. The index is calculated using the 30 most liquid mortgage-backed securities (MBS) offered by US government-sponsored mortgage finance agencies Fannie Mae, Freddie…
FSA fairly confident of ‘sensible’ op risk charge for investment firms
UK regulators are reasonably confident operational risk capital charges for investment firms proposed under new European Union (EU) rules will be “sensible”, the UK’s chief financial regulator said today.
Banks see sharp slowdown in equity derivatives business
Falling equity derivatives revenues have hit bank earnings in the second quarter this year, as a decline in merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity saw less corporate demand for equity derivatives.
London's gilt repo market set for liquidity increase, says LCH
Liquidity in the UK gilt repo market should increase dramatically next month, when the London Clearing House (LCH) steps in as central counterparty, according to John Burke, director of LCH's RepoClear service.
FSA fairly confident of ‘sensible’ op risk charge for investment firms
UK regulators are reasonably confident operational risk capital charges for investment firms proposed under new European Union (EU) rules will be “sensible”, the UK’s chief financial regulator said today.
UK investor fears seem overdone, regulator says
It is right that regulators look hard at the UK’s regulatory regime to see whether improvements are needed to prevent a fraudulent attempt to inflate corporate earnings for personal gain, the UK’s chief financial regulator said today.
Credit Markets Update: High correlation to equity markets continues
The credit default swap market continued to see significant volatility and trading activity in Europe this week, as the high degree of correlation to the equity markets persisted, according to traders in London today.
UK details three-phase Basel II implementation plan
UK regulators said today they plan a three-phase implementation of the Basel II capital Accord and parallel European Union banking rules with a target date of December 31, 2006.
UK details three-phase Basel II implementation plan
UK regulators said today they plan a three-phase implementation of the Basel II capital Accord and parallel European Union banking rules with a target date of December 31, 2006.
One-fifth of Hong Kong investors will consider hedge funds
Around one-fifth of Hong Kong investors that currently invest in traditional mutual funds said they may buy hedge funds, following the Special Administrative Region’s decision in May to open up the hedge fund market to retail investors, according to a…
MSCI hedge fund index offers 10% better return than equities
Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), the provider of benchmark indexes for financial institutions, has released the first performance data for its newly established family of hedge fund indexes. The results were compiled from back-dated data…
SG prepares fund of hedge funds for Hong Kong retail investors
SG Securities, a unit of France’s Société Générale, is preparing to launch a new capital guaranteed fund on a basket of global hedge funds by the fourth quarter of the year, according to the unit's Hong Kong-based managing director for equity derivatives…
US Credit Market Update: Credit spreads see another volatile week
The continued weak performance of US equity markets caused bearish investors to seek credit protection in the US last week. This caused volatility in the US credit derivatives market, with most company credit spreads widened in relatively high levels of…
Credit Markets Update: Negative equity sentiment transmutes into wider spreads
European credit default swap spreads were wider this week, with investors buying protection as credit concerns and accounting scandals in the US contributed to negative investor sentiment that led to a further battering of stocks.
Japan Credit Market Update: Increased protection buying send spreads wider
Japanese credit default swap spreads were wider this week, with investors buying protection on the back of new convertible bond issuance, more credit concerns and the possibility that accounting scandals seen in the US may spread to Japanese companies.
Credit quality improved but spreads widen in Q2, says S&P
Rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) said global credit quality continued to improve in the second quarter of 2002. The global downgrade-to-upgrade ratio, which was 7:0 in the final quarter of 2001 was 5:3 in the first quarter of 2002 and 3:1 for the…
Implied volatility surge sees the return of institutional hedging
Short-term implied option volatility has shot up during the past month due to falling equity markets, which has led to increased institutional hedging, according to a report published this week by Goldman Sachs.
Aquila backs Feinstein energy trading proposals
Missouri-based energy company Aquila today said it strongly supports Senator Dianne Feinstein's proposal for more aggressive Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) oversight of energy derivatives trading.