Equities
Liquidnet debuts offshore alternative trading in New Zealand
New Zealand is poised to have what is believed to be its first offshore dark pool when Liquidnet launches its trading operation on June 22.
IAS 19 to speed pension de-risking
Proposed changes to accounting standards will remove some of the reporting freedom enjoyed by pension funds and could steer them away from investing in equities towards the relative safety of bonds and swaps – a development that could have an impact on…
In transition
Transition management is gaining popularity in Australia, with longer transitions using off-exchange trading platforms becoming increasingly common. But there are plenty of risks associated with such trades. Rachel Alembakis reports
Constructing a reputation
China Construction Bank (Asia) is enhancing its retail offerings in Hong Kong ahead of a planned expansion into mainland China. But the distributor is delaying sales of accumulators to high-net-worth and private banking clients for fear of reputational…
Sponsored statement: Standard Chartered – winning for clients in Asia, Africa and the Middle East
Standard Chartered delivered an impressive set of results for 2009 even as its competitors across the world continued to suffer the fallout of the financial crisis. Group head of financial markets, Lenny Feder, talks about the successes of the year and…
Banca Fideuram focuses on clarity
Tightening spreads are making it more difficult for banks to factor protection into their products and although the market is stabilising, having protection and products they understand is still an important factor for Banca Fideuram’s customers. Clare…
Fund managers becoming bullish on hedge funds
Fund managers have largely bullish views on hedge fund investments over the next five years in a sign that confidence is returning to the market.
WisdomTree bears fruit
WisdomTree has made its name by offering alternatives to the standard ETF fare, with a suite focused on efficient weighting, access trades and active management. Now it is poised for yet more growth, and expects to start capturing assets previously…
Wrestling with correlation
The correlation risk inherent in most structured products represents an ongoing headache for manufacturers. While new regulatory proposals would affect how much risk banks keep on their books, market dynamics are at play, especially the rise in…
India finds some forward momentum
The global financial crisis could easily have sounded the death knell for India’s nascent structured products market. But as the country’s equity markets have resumed their upward trend, dealers say equity-linked structures are catching on fast.
A ripening market
Market dynamics and the chequered history of structured investments in South Africa have recently favoured vanilla products featuring capital protection. But some local issuers are gaining traction with more sophisticated offerings. John Ferry reports
Murky business
A growing number of observers claim activity by some high-frequency trading firms amounts to little more than manipulation. Some people are throwing around words like 'criminals', 'indictments' and 'theft'. Is there any evidence of wrongdoing? Duncan…
Size matters at Lyxor
Lyxor has been building its exchange-traded fund business for eight years and now boasts EUR24.4 billion of assets under management - almost a quarter of the European market. What began as a single offering on the CAC 40 now aims to be a complete toolbox…
Transition revamp
The asset transition business is undergoing a major transformation, with strong risk management and pre-trade analysis capabilities becoming an increasingly important service differentiator. How are transition managers meeting the needs of Asian clients?…