Derivatives
ETP boom fuels concern over counterparty risk
GLOBAL - Issuance of currency-linked exchange-traded products (ETPs) has soared in the past year, but concerns are emerging over the counterparty risks inherent in these products.
RBS launches new forex index
LONDON - RBS launched FX Radar Index, an automated index linked to 20 emerging market currencies, on October 1.
Icap's NDFs trading down but not out
SINGAPORE - Current market volatility is hurting non-deliverable forwards (NDF) trading on Icap's electronic spot-broking system EBS, but the broker is optimistic about the development of this market.
NAB grows structured products in Asia
SINGAPORE - National Australia Bank's investment bank, nabCapital, has hired Peter Zeitsch as a director to build a structured products business in Singapore.
Barings launches new currency fund
LONDON - Baring Asset Management is set to launch a currency fund that will offer an alternative source of alpha and diversification to target institutional investors and funds of hedge funds.
StanChart outlines forex e-pricing and trading strategy
LONDON - Standard Chartered has provided further details about its e-forex pricing and trading strategy since promoting Todd McDonald to a newly created position as global head of foreign exchange electronic pricing and trading ( FX Week August 4).
BarCap shakes up Asian forex management
SINGAPORE - Steve Weller, Barclays Capital's Singapore-based Asia-Pacific head of foreign exchange since 2004, has taken a sabbatical, leaving his responsibilities split among new and veteran members of the regional forex team.
Korea relaxes won NDF rules
SEOUL - Plans by South Korean officials to ease restrictions on won non-deliverable forwards (NDF) trading could shift speculative trading onshore, say traders.
Another good quarter for FX
BOSTON & NEW YORK - US dealers posted record second-quarter revenues from foreign exchange business, as volatility remained high over the period.
Banks and hedge funds spur growth in OIS trading
LONDON & NEW YORK - Central bank activity has contributed towards a surge in trading overnight index swaps (OIS) over the past year, according to dealers.
Automated FX trading models provide diversified alpha
David Popplewell, director of currency structuring at RBS in London, says to look beyond carry baskets and actively managed foreign exchange allocation to generate alpha from FX
BoA hires London forex duo
LONDON - Bank of America (BoA) is hitting back after making severe cuts to its foreign exchange team in January by boosting its sales and trading franchise in London with two senior hires.
Indian banks demand clarity on forex tax
MUMBAI – Institutional banks in India are requesting clarification from the country’s Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) over whether a new levy on foreign exchange transactions applies to wholesale and interbank trades.
Death by association
The application of credit technology to diverse underlyings led to the birth of collateralised foreign exchange obligations in 2006. But despite being built from uncorrelated underlyings, their fortunes have proven highly correlated with the wider market…
StanChart moves Africa FX team to Dubai hub
LONDON & DUBAI - Standard Chartered is moving its offshore African foreign exchange trading desk from London to Dubai, as it continues to build operations in the Middle East.
CBA reshuffles forex
SYDNEY - The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has made two key hires for its foreign exchange trading team in Sydney and has restructured its global sales group.
Czech forex volumes double in six months
PRAGUE - The credit crisis led to a sharp rise in Czech koruna forwards and foreign exchange swaps volumes in April, according to statistics released last week.
Record FX returns no compensation for continuing subprime losses
BOSTON & NEW YORK - Record foreign exchange revenues have proved no match for the credit crisis, with billion-dollar writedowns causing two major banks to report big first-quarter losses in their fixed-income divisions this week.
Yen rise triggers PRDC hedging
TOKYO - The sharp appreciation of the yen in March has left dealers jostling to hedge exposures to power-reverse dual currency notes (PRDCs) and other similar structured products.
US trading revenues plummet in 2007
NEW YORK - US commercial banks recorded $5.5 billion in trading revenues in 2007, down $13.3 billion from the record of $18.8 billion set in 2006, according to a report published by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last week (April 2).
EBS Spot aims for NDF supremacy
LONDON - The battle to gain market share in electronic non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) broking is gathering pace, with the launch of seven Asian NDFs and Russian rouble trading on electronic spot broking system EBS Spot today (March 3).
Choosing the right carry strategy
Nikki Marmery reports on the proliferation of carry trade indexes and outlines the key differences between the main banks' offerings