News
Insurers call for greater underwriting discipline
Many insurance and reinsurance companies face ruin unless there is a fundamental shift towards correlating risk management with underwriting premiums, according to a panel of insurance industry chief executives at the Property/Casualty Joint Industry…
Enron exposure hurts JP Morgan credit position
Rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has placed JP Morgan Chase on negative ratings outlook following the financial institution’s unveiling of a $322 million loss in fourth-quarter 2001, in part caused by its exposure to failed US energy company Enron.
Reech joins the ASP rush to target hedge funds
UK-based Reech Capital has joined the growing number of firms targeting the hedge fund industry with application service provider (ASP) financial services instruments, by unveiling a new Web-delivered risk management product.
Goldman steps up hedge fund effort with two hires
Goldman Sachs has added two new portfolio managers and transferred another pair to its hedge fund strategies group - a unit the investment bank claimed has seen significant asset growth in recent months.
Outram joins Kamakura in Asia Pacific
Honolulu-based risk management software firm, Kamakura, has made Jaqueline Outram managing director for client relationships and operations in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She will also sit on the company's managing committee.
Cognotec in Digital Island deal to boost online performance
Foreign exchange and money-market trading software provider Cognotec has teamed with Digital Island, the San Francisco-based communication infrastructure specialist, to improve online performance. The agreement involves Dublin-based Cognotec…
Bundesbank goes live with new FX reserves system
The Bundesbank - Germany’s central bank - has gone live with a new electronic system for managing foreign currency reserves that should improve risk management.
KBC selects SunGard for securities processing
KBC has selected intelliMATCH from SunGard eProcess Intelligence, an operating unit of US financial services IT provider SunGard, for matching and reconciliating trades.
BPC offers 'Complete' risk management product
Bita Plus Consultants (BPC), the London-based provider of risk management and portfolio optimisation software, has developed a risk analysis and reporting service, Bita Complete, targeted at the fund management industry.
SFE pays US$28 million for OM technology
The Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE) entered a US$28 million, eight-year agreement on Friday to outsource its core clearing technology and operational support functions to Swedish technology vendor OM. The agreement includes US$5 million in capital costs…
Asian securitisation market hits post-crisis record
The Asian securitisation market has registered its most successful year since the Asian financial crisis, with cross-border issuance totalling $2.74 billion in 2001, according to international rating agency Moody’s. This growth is set to continue, with…
Meyer to step down from Fed
Lawrence Meyer, a US Federal Reserve Board governor, yesterday said he would resign from the board when his term ends on January 31. His departure will leave a second vacancy on the seven-member Fed board, after the retirement of former governor Edward…
BNP Paribas closes weather derivatives unit
BNP Paribas has withdrawn from the weather derivatives market in a move likely to prompt closer scrutiny of weather-trading unit performance at other banks.
Eurex elects exchange council
Eurex, the world’s largest derivatives exchange as measured by transaction volumes, named Dresdner Bank board director Leonhard Fischer as chairman of its new exchange council - the highest supervisory body of the Swiss-German exchange.
Ice to head US rates marketing at UBS Warburg
UBS Warburg, the investment banking arm of Switzerland’s UBS, has hired Michael Ice to head its interest rate derivatives marketing and structuring unit in the United States.
Hong Kong derivatives volumes rise in 2001
Derivatives trading volumes in Hong Kong soared to new highs last year, with total futures and options contract volumes rising by 13.9% in 2001 from the previous year, according to the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx).
DrKW restructures credit derivatives group
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW) has undertaken a major reorganisation of its credit derivatives operations, and named Rick Weinstein its new head of credit derivatives.
Noonan to step down as American Re head
Ed Noonan will relinquish his role as president and chief executive of American Re, one of the largest reinsurers in the United States, at the end of March.
SG lures Deutsche’s Hopkin to securitisation team
SG, the investment banking arm of French bank Société Générale, has hired Richard Hopkin as deputy head of its European securitisation team.
Traders confused over mixed signals on yen policy
Traders are having problems second-guessing the Japanese government’s policy on the yen, after the currency's firming to ¥132.38 against the dollar yesterday. This followed the yen hitting a three-year low of ¥133.70 the day before.
UBS in bid to tap retail interest in equity-linked note
UBS Warburg, the investment banking unit of Switzerland's UBS, is negotiating with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing to list an equity-linked note released in Hong Kong in November. The move is an effort to generate retail investor interest in the…
Deutsche Börse to release Neuer Sentiment Index
Deutsche Börse is set to release a new 'behaviour-oriented' equity index based on the Neuer Market – made up of 325 mainly German technology and high-growth companies – as a market information tool for dealers.
Finland’s Oko Bank selects Misys for OTC derivatives
Oko Bank, the central bank for Finland’s co-operative banking community, will extend its use of London-based Misys International Banking Systems’ Opics solution to cover regulated and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives activities.
Isda hits back at call for more derivatives regulation
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (Isda) has hit back at calls for more derivatives regulation in the wake of Enron’s demise. “Advocating regulation for regulation’s sake is bad policy, and could severely affect the US role in global…