Middle East crisis
ECC risk chief says Iran crisis will not delay VAR transition
Incorporating 2022 Ukraine shock ensured new margin model is robust in face of energy volatility
FX options traders lost in Iran fog
Headline ‘ping-pong’ saps hedge funds’ conviction, though pockets of vol selling have re-emerged
Asian banks close out energy clients as Iran war bites
Firms with short jet fuel positions faced losses up to $100 million as initial margin soared 566%
Middle East crisis revives demand for VKOs – with a twist
Equity investors balance fear and optimism by pairing 2022’s best hedge with lookback options
Mizuho leads FCM customer fund surge after Iran war
F&O balances jump 51% at Japanese dealer as industry hits fresh heights
Iran confusion makes the case for causal modelling
A new test model built using Claude suggests oil prices may surge back above $100
Top 10 op risks: Playing catch-up on geopolitical risk
Op risk managers downplayed prospect of a major conflict ahead of Iran war
Has the Iran conflict made FX untradable?
FX options volumes jump despite high costs and short-lived opportunities
How the Iran war wreaked havoc on consensus US rates trades
Hedge fund steepeners, swap spreads and vol-selling strategies were hit as conflict forced stop-outs during March
Eurex dividend futures volumes jump on Iran shock
Turnover triples as investors hedge dividend cuts risk
CCP default funds grew to record size ahead of Iran war
End-2025 figures show widespread increases in prefunded resources
Iran selloff wipes out dispersion profits
Popular indexes down 5% in March, despite low realised correlation; some short bets see gains
Comerica, Frost lead US banks on commodity derivatives concentration
Commodity-linked trades account for one-third of derivatives books at both lenders
EU can handle energy price pressure – it’s been here before
Reforms made after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have made region more resilient to energy shocks, officials say
Hedge funds retreat to sidelines in euro steepeners
Rate hike repricing and stop-losses have gutted positioning in once-dominant 10s30s bet
What futures and options say about the cost of war
Spot prices reveal major disruption, futures indicate this will pass, options imply ongoing instability
A Hormuz tipping point may be days away
Agent-based model suggests delays and shortages likely to accelerate after four weeks
SRT deals shelved amid Iran and AI concerns
Simple and risk-reducing deals prioritised as growing fears disrupt synthetic risk-transfer pipeline
Ice CDS volumes surge as investors hedge Iran shock
Single-name volumes outpace indexes as investors target specific risks
Oil clearing volumes surge at Ice, CME
Ice Europe nears Brent clearing record midway through March
Oil producers hedge rally with Brent shorts
Energy firms hedge oil spike as funds position for further gains