Options
On buy side, equity index options tilted bullish in Q1
Counterparty Radar: Share of notional in short positions hit new low for US life insurers; mutual funds also reported smaller short books
ETF surge shows ‘worst-of’ autocalls have life in them yet
Assets in older structures have caught up with vol target versions that looked set to dominate
RJ O’Brien transfer propels StoneX into top 10 FCMs
Customer funds jump 61% after futures services move across
0DTE options and non-banks could accelerate market risk
Risk Live: Risk managers warn trading desks in “uncharted territory” with shocks moving faster
OCC default fund plans expose rift between clearers
Retail brokers – but not Robinhood – oppose new allocation of default fund contributions amid options surge
Euronext, LCH back Esma as exchange super-regulator
National oversight hurts Europe, exchange officials say – but some are not ready to accept a single watchdog
How vol eruption blew up Goldman’s rates book
Dealers were short payer skew from corporate and hedge fund flows. Then came the Iran war.
The unreasonable effectiveness of randomised quasi-Monte Carlo in finance
An analysis of simulation methods shows which works best for Asian options
SocGen is getting into the systematic equity dispersion game
New single-stock options index is first step to plugging a gap in the bank’s QIS business
HK listing revisions may boost structured product diversity
Reduced minimum fees and size could temper ‘emulation’ issue dominance
The quiet force steering prediction platforms to regulation
Former Cantor Futures president Richard Jaycobs warns on growth prospects for ‘zero-sum’ market
Vol control indexes rewire for V-shaped rebounds
Dealers aim to fix sluggish performance of indexes that underpin $130 billion-a-year FIA market
Eurex short-term rates volumes collapse on Iran volatility
Surging yields, options hedging activity and revamped incentive schemes drive record volumes at Ice
FCM target residual interest shrinks as customer funds surge
Nine firms hit all-time lows in February across multiple asset classes
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 selloff wipes out dispersion profits
Popular indexes down 5% in March, despite low realised correlation; some short bets see gains
What futures and options say about the cost of war
Spot prices reveal major disruption, futures indicate this will pass, options imply ongoing instability
FCMs held record customer funds on eve of Iran war
F&O funds climbed 6% in February as seven brokers set new records
Ice’s Sprecher: institutional prediction bets ‘a matter of time’
Longer-term vision for ‘niche’ energy event contracts may be aided by recent Polymarket tie-up
A smooth fit for complex volatility surfaces
Quant shows a new way to capture implied vol with optimisers