Opinion
Quant Ideas: market-making, risk and information in commodities
High volatility and noisy data sets have profound implications on risk management in commodity markets
Banks hold advantage in clearing contract talks
Buy side losing battle with prospective clearing members
Equities slump could favour defensive structured products
Products with defensive strikes allow investors to make gains in falling markets
Prime alpha: separating skill from luck in asset management
Alternative way to judge manager performance provides useful tool for risk managers
Blunt SEC derivatives proposals too onerous for funds
Crossover between derivatives and liquidity rules threatens heavy burden for buy side
Cyber risk, FRTB and Solvency II
The week on Risk.net, January 15-21, 2016
Cyber risks are silent, deadly and often mundane
Fear of submarine-like attack overshadows more dangerous, less scary cyber threats
Insurers should prep for questions on pro-cyclicality
Regulatory agenda shifting to systemic risk of herding
How ‘Death Star’ and AIG sparked a new era in regulation
Ferc and the CFTC have overlearned the lessons of past crises
Why traders ignore risks and go full speed ahead
Incentives often drive excessive risk-taking, while caution is punished
CCPs, CSAs and the legacy of Enron
The week on Risk.net, January 9–15 2016
Enron’s California schemes haunt regulators 15 years later
Failures of first liberalised US power market still shape Ferc anti-manipulation agenda
The drawn-out death of a standard IRRBB charge
For 23 years, regulators have been trying – and failing – to standardise banking book rates risk
Riskology: Complexity economics as a future source of alpha
Advances in understanding of networks hold potential for new trading strategies for hedge funds
Variation margin, DVA and a look back at 2015
Three weeks on Risk.net, December 18, 2015–January 8, 2016
Cutting Edge introduction: No more shortfalls?
Academics develop expected shortfall backtest to compare standardised and internal models
How FVA saved the cross-currency swap
Funding benefits have slashed pricing for some uncollateralised trades
Surprise answer to regulatory squeeze: use more swaps
New rules could push buy-siders towards synthetic strategies
Collateral or settlement: capital cut rests on role of VM
Questions about status of variation margin are more than semantics
7 days in 60 seconds – margin rules, TLAC and power markets
The week on Risk.net, December 11–17 2015
Proprietary indexes: private products face public scrutiny
Post-UBS enforcement action, what next for custom indexes?
How ‘worst-of’ strategies can outperform index-linked products
Stock-based structured products can outperform index-linked counterparts but rigorous analysis is key
7 days in 60 seconds – AMA, leverage and the year of XVA
The week on Risk.net, December 4–10, 2015
Risk management: different industries, different drivers
Energy firms get wise on credit risk; asset managers tackle op risk