United Kingdom
Inflation issuers face Greek fallout
Issuance of sovereign inflation-linked bonds is expected to reach record highs this year as governments struggle with vast fiscal deficits. With investors shaken by the crisis in Greece, however, some issuers may have to draw on the lessons of the crisis…
State benefits for RBS
Jezri Mohideen, head of rates trading for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at RBS, talks to Alexander Campbell
Solving the problem of inflation measures
With fears about future inflation still plaguing investors, inflation-linked products may seem like a sensible way of hedging against the rising cost of living. But the effect of substitution, interest rate rises and timing mean that returns on these…
Product review: Dunbar Bank's FTSE 100 basket
The unrated Dunbar Bank is offering UK investors a five-year, capital-protected growth product linked to 15 of the largest companies in the FTSE 100. A minimum return is on offer and growth can be locked in at each annual anniversaries
Gazprom seals US LNG deal
The world’s largest natural gas company Gazprom has sealed a deal with US-based Sempra Energy that will allow Russia’s energy giant to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to another US receipt terminal and further broaden its client base and its reach in…
Tories plan to phase out UK Renewables Obligation
The Conservative Party has responded to rumours it is preparing to overhaul the UK's renewable energy policy by confirming that, if elected, it will phase out the government's Renewables Obligation scheme.
Second-hand values
The demand for transparency and liquidity makes trading in and out of a structured product extremely attractive to investors. This has resulted in healthy secondary markets across Europe, so why has the UK been so slow to emulate its continental…
Simply does it
Structured products have been used as a scapegoat for some of the problems that led to the financial crisis. But Cater Allen, the UK private banking arm of Santander, says transparent products can regain investors’ confidence. Clare Dickinson reports
Market snapshot
Tim Mortimer of Future Value Consultants looks at the pricing issues for structured products in different markets and provides his trade of the month
BP and CNPC push forward in Iraq despite oil law uncertainty
BP and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) have awarded a raft of other energy and commodities companies deals to start drilling and production in the lucrative Iraqi Rumaila oilfield, which they operate, despite the current lack of a petroleum…
Placing the UK's green energy
The UK’s ambitious renewable energy targets raise questions about how new electricity generators will be connected to the grid and how costs should be spread between system operators and generators. Neil Cornelius and Etienne Gabel look at the latest…
Retrospective: A simple plan
Barclays Bank issued a straightforward minimum return product just before the financial crisis, linked to the performance of the FTSE 100 index. Ensuing volatility and widening CDS spreads show why such products are rare in today’s markets
Energy Risk: What's coming next?
Energy Risk brings you a snapshot of what's moving and shaking the markets.