Articles by Michael Watt
Buy side enjoys two consecutive quarters of narrowing spreads
Cut-throat competition for volumes brings good news for buy-side firms
Argentine peso stabilises after turbulent few weeks
Central bank introduces new capital controls policy as foreign currency reserves dwindle
Icap revenues down 5% in four months
‘Challenging market conditions’ outweigh robust EM FX trading volumes
EM currencies set for extended rout, say analysts
Current account deficits set to keep EM currencies under pressure
FCA hits State Street with transitions management fine
FCA fines State Street £22.9m for transition management failings, FX discussed but not a factor in fines
Independent Scotland must cede some sovereignty to keep sterling
Bank of England governor Mark Carney warns of tough choices ahead for Scotland if it goes ahead with independence but looks to keep the pound
Currency fund performance still stuck in ‘perfect storm’
Currency funds continue to under perform other asset classes, but investment managers see improvements in 2014
Savage launches multi-strategy hedge fund
Former FX Concepts executives Robert Savage and Ron DiRusso launch Citic Capital Holdings
FX Focus trade repository Q&A
Alongside derivatives counterparties and regulators, trade repositories form the final part of a triumvirate that must work together if the European Market Infrastructure Regulation’s trade reporting regime is to begin smoothly on February 12. Leading…
Esma foresees a rush to report
Implementing the European Union’s trade reporting rules will be no mean feat for the European Securities and Markets Authority (Esma), with many in the industry way behind on their preparations to meet the February 12 deadline. Michael Watt talks to Esma…
February 12 trade reporting deadline – Failure warning
With the European Union’s February 12 trade reporting deadline fast approaching, few give the market any chance of being fully ready. Participants point to the significant challenge posed by complex reporting rules, and the shortened timeline to…
FX Focus - Editor's Letter
Ready to report?
BlackRock threatens to go own way on UTI generation, says industry source
Asset manager takes unusual step of generating unique trade identifiers itself as banks react slowly to challenge
No immediate sanctions for trade reporting failures, says FCA
UK regulator willing to give participants time to get trade reporting right after February 12 deadline
Buy side places faith in diverging monetary policy
After a dull end to 2013 that was characterised by excessive consistency among key economies, fund manager Dori Levanoni is eagerly awaiting greater divergence in monetary policy
Industry should be ready for reporting deadline, warns Esma
Despite ongoing challenges relating to European trade reporting, the industry has had 13 months to prepare and should be ready for the February 12 deadline, says European regulator
Canadian FX committee chair retires
Donna Howard has retired from her role as CFEC chair and adviser to the governor of the Bank of Canada as Paul Chilcott takes over as CFEC chair
Industry bets on clearer FX trends for 2014
As banks and investors cast their bets on the major currency movements to watch out for in 2014, FX Week presents the highlights of forecasts for the dollar, euro, yen and EM currencies
Perspectives on 2014: Axel Merk, Merk Investments
The timing of QE tapering will remain a dominant theme in the coming months as many currencies remain beholden to central bank decisions, while the eurozone crisis is still far from over, warns Axel Merk, president and chief investment officer of Merk…
Perspectives on 2014: Nigel Khakoo, Nomura
The market is now better prepared for the Fed to scale back quantitative easing than it was when the idea was first mooted in May, but concerns remain over regulatory issues and the buy side should be more involved, says Nigel Khakoo, head of Emea FX at…
Buy side could miss Emir reporting deadline
Banks are racing to meet a February 12 deadline for trade reporting under European rules, but buy-side firms might not be ready to meet their obligations in time
FX Week Europe: Eurozone break-up ‘inevitable’, says ECU currency chief
Short-term policies have delayed the break-up of the eurozone, but a disorderly exit of debt-laden countries is inevitable, says chief investment officer Michael Petley
FX Week Europe: Fed is in ‘La La Land’ on monetary policy
SG CIB's chief currency strategist hits out at Federal Reserve's failure to appreciate the implications of its QE and interest rate policies
Mifid rules could force FX swaps onto OTFs
Trialogue negotiations on Mifid II are expected to conclude by February, but traders fear they could include a mandate for FX swaps to be traded on organised trading facilities