Trading book
US banks’ Brexit gambit hit by EU cross-border ban
US firms trying to Brexit-proof their European operations could now be hit by CRD VI
‘Nightmare’ of uncertainty plagues FRTB model applications
Shifting timetable and rule tweaks that could alter incentives dampen appetite for internal models
Goldman Sachs’ VAR averaged record $124m in Q2
Trading risk indicator surged past early pandemic readings
Banks turn away from FRTB internal models in Europe
Drawbacks mean even fewer model approval applications planned than past ECB survey suggested
Why FRTB model test loves volatility, but hates hedges
Crucial P&L test for internal models easier to pass if price swings are large, or desks poorly hedged
EU eyes fix to FRTB’s capital asymmetry for govvies
Banks say French presidency proposal would see PD floor slashed for sovereign bonds under IMA
No soft landings in flight to safety from Russia
Impact of Ukraine invasion hit bank balance sheets hard; its effects look set to continue
Nomura switches to lower-confidence VAR model
Internal measure of potential market loss brings bank in line with the likes of JP Morgan and BofA
China’s top banks slashed market RWAs by $15bn in 2021
Aggregate market RWAs at top five lenders down 17% in year marred by domestic and overseas volatility
Goldman’s VAR climbs to $98 million in Q1
Commodity and interest rate risk push average VAR to its highest reading since 2020
UniCredit cuts market RWAs by 9%
Removal of capital requirements for FX risk sheds standardised RWAs by 68% in three months
Barclays’ modelled RWAs jump 71%
SVAR pinned to Covid-19 panic drives latest quarterly increase
StanChart reports first VAR breach since Q2 2020
Three exceptions recorded in the fourth quarter put the bank one step away from a higher capital requirement
FRTB capital quirk for sovereign bonds bewilders banks
EU treatment of govvies under internal models is worse than standardised approaches
EU banks fear outlier status on non-modellable risk charges
Dealers face disadvantage if EU implements more granular and costly version of FRTB than US, UK
SocGen cut trading VAR by a third in Q4
Trading risk gauge shrinks to lowest in 17 years
Nordea’s trading VAR keeps climbing amid rate hike jitters
Trading risk gauge surged 17% through Q4
ING’s interest rate VAR spiked in Q4
Potential-loss indicator for rates trading peaked at €20 million
Bank of America’s VAR drops 19% in Q4
Average one-day trading VAR falls to lowest point since Q1 2020
EU offers reprieve for fund-linked derivatives trades
Banks hope FRTB draft allowing fund managers to supply standardised inputs will cut risk weights
The FRTB challenge: banks brace for further uncertainty
The widely anticipated implementation of the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB) hit another obstacle when the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision pushed back the roll-out by another year to January 2023. With different jurisdictions…
New FRTB timeline makes Europe’s reporting phase ‘obsolete’
European Commission pencils in capital requirements to start at the same time as reporting exercise – or even before
FRTB starts ‘tug of war’ between front and back offices
Risk USA: dealers face trade-off between accuracy of pricing models and level of capital charges
Santander’s VAR surges 17% in Q3
Macroeconomic jitters push credit spread and interest rate risk up, but bank’s traders net income windfall