News
Increased volatility could help structure attractive returns
Widening bond spreads and market volatility will result in more interesting structured products, according to Morgan Stanley. The spikes in volatility that followed news of a hung parliament in the UK and the disagreements over a bail-out package for…
UBS fines for misselling structured products could be first of many
UBS has come under fire in a series of court cases in the US for inappropriate sales of Lehman Brothers principal-protected notes and a failure to inform retail investors properly of the risks involved. More cases are likely.
DnB Nor returns to the Norwegian structured products market
Nordic bank DnB Nor will resume distribution of structured products to high-net-worth investors and affluent retail clients in Norway on May 25. The two new products, translated roughly as “Global ‘Trigg’ (safe)” and “Top Norden” (top selected stocks…
Barclays says kick-outs remain popular despite ISA confusion
Barclays Wealth says kick-out structures remain popular in the UK, despite the recent confusion over Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) eligibility. Barclays is reissuing two kick-out structures to UK investors.
FTSE targets UK pensions industry with defined contribution index
FTSE has created an index to help asset managers and retail investors navigate the pensions market. The index provider has partnered with London-based data services firm Pension DCisions to create the first benchmark for the UK’s defined contributions…
ETNs come to Finland with listing on the Nasdaq Helsinki
The Nordic market has been slower to pick up on the trend for exchange-traded products than its southern European counterparts but progress comes with Swedish bank Handelsbanken’s listing of Finland’s first exchange-traded notes (ETN) on the Nasdaq OMX…
Société Générale launches commodities ETN platform
As appetite for listed products and the transparency they offer increases, Société Générale (SG) has launched its first exchange-traded notes (ETN) on the London Stock Exchange, giving investors access to single commodities in a variety of currencies.
Markit ETP database provides tool to navigate market
The market for exchange-traded products (ETPs) is expanding as more products and issuers come to market, making it more difficult for asset managers and traders to make decisions about which ETFs to use.
Swiss exchange sees increase in structured product turnover
Turnover for structured products on the Swiss Scoach exchange is recovering after a dip in December last year, according to figures from the Swiss Structured Products Association. Volumes reached Sfr3.68 billion ($3.35 billion) in April 2010. Most of the…
RBS and NAB offer investors the chance to restrike
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and National Australian Bank (NAB) have teamed up to offer a product called Re-Strike, which will give investors with non-performing investments the chance to reset capital. RBS is the issuer.
Instinet: HKEx needs to break clearing and settlement monopoly
Instinet's Asia chief executive Glenn Lesko says Hong Kong needs to open up clearing and settlement to allow competing exchanges to operate
CDS spreads tighten for eurozone debt crisis countries
Fall in cost of insuring eurozone sovereign debt follows a volatile week
Commodity position limits could hurt entire market, experts warn
Proposals by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) - now also proposed in the recently approved Senate Bill on Finanicial Reform - to limit larger energy traders' positions, could drive down liquidity in energy markets across the board, causing…
Dealers prepping new CDOs
Despite growing risk aversion in the credit markets, behind the scenes dealers are working on new issues of collateralised debt obligations.
Vol and correlation cause equity derivatives pain
Hedge funds and dealers reported to suffer losses from recent equity derivatives moves
Valukas' findings challenged by Lehman lawsuit against JP Morgan
Intra-day credit debate re-surfaces as Lehman Brothers Holdings (Inc) (LBHI) accuses JP Morgan of coercing it into agreements that allowed JP Morgan to get hands on collateral
Goldman CDO suit throws focus on collateral manager conflicts
Goldman Sachs fraud allegations show portfolio managers credit selection interests are often not aligned with benefiting CDO note-holders, say lawyers.
Carbon trading to rival crude markets: CCX head
Carbon trading set to become the biggest commodity market in the world
Risk Europe: euro volatility and regulatory uncertainty biggest concerns, say CROs
Buy-side chief risk officers voice their concerns about the effects of regulatory inconsistency on volatility.
Korean bonds stay strong, despite rising tensions
Sound economic fundamentals have meant South Korea’s sovereign bond yields have remained low despite the political standoff on the Korean peninsula.
Quiet morning trading on the CDS market after dramatic moves
CDS spreads' volatility earlier in the week over for now