News
SPDR Gold Trust to trade futures and options
WASHINGTON, DC - US regulators approved trading and clearing for futures and options based on the Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts (SPDR) Gold Trust, an exchange-traded fund (ETF), on June 2.
Forex volumes on CME up in May
CHICAGO - Average daily foreign exchange volumes at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange reached 621,334 contracts with a notional value of $87.92 billion in May, up 29% and 48% respectively on the same period last year.
More FX departures at Bear Stearns
NEW YORK & LONDON - Bear Stearns' foreign exchange team continues to suffer departures as the bank's FX business gets merged with that of JP Morgan.
OSE to launch FX margin trading market
OSAKA - The Osaka Securities Exchange (OSE) will launch a foreign exchange margin trading market in March next year.
Hedge funds keen on FX
STAMFORD, CT - Hedge funds increased their forex trading volumes by 180% in 2007, as global FX trading volumes rose 36% to $99 trillion, according to statistics released May 28.
Gold producer hedging drops to record lows
LONDON - Gold hedging plunged by another 18% in the first quarter of 2008, shrinking the global delta-adjusted hedge positions to 22 million troy ounces (Moz).
Global heads quit StanChart
SINGAPORE - Standard Chartered has been hit by senior management departures in Singapore, amid the bank's continuing restructuring, launched at the end of last year.
TD Securities adds in Singapore
SINGAPORE - TD Securities is continuing to build up its Asia rates and foreign exchange hub, with a new hire in Singapore.
Saxo Bank gains French foothold
PARIS - Saxo Bank plans to acquire Paris-based online foreign exchange broker Cambiste in a seven-figure deal, in anticipation of demand for forex and contracts-for-differences (CFDs) trading in the local French market.
Hotspot FX set to launch gold and silver spot trading
JERSEY CITY, NJ - Hotspot FXi is launching trading in spot gold and silver on the electronic communications network (ECN) on June 10.
ABP prunes USD hedge
AMSTERDAM - Europe's largest pension fund, ABP, is changing its long-term policy of hedging 100% of its US dollar exposure, to 80%.
Ex-EBS chief now at SuperD
LONDON - Jack Jeffery, former chief executive at electronic spot broker EBS, has resurfaced at options pricing and risk management software vendor SuperDerivatives.
UniCredit hires trading chief in London
LONDON - UniCredit is continuing its policy of building up its presence in the foreign exchange market with another key hire in London.
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.
NewEdge grows in Asia-Pacific
HONG KONG – Brokerage firm Newedge is expanding its presence in Hong Kong with five new hires in the special administrative region that will grow its futures and options offering
Saxo makes Trader mobile
COPENHAGEN – Saxo Bank launched SaxoWebTrader 2.0 and SaxoMobile-Trader 2.0 last week.
Japanese retail forex boom expected to continue
TOKYO – The boom in retail margin foreign exchange trading in Japan is likely to continue, according to research by Boston-based consultancy Celent.
BoA’s Gotelli joins Wells Fargo
SAN FRANCISCO – Wells Fargo has hired Bob Gotelli as head of global sales for corporate foreign exchange in San Francisco.
Reuters’ RTFX offers algo strategies
LONDON – Thomson Reuters is teaming up with Credit Suisse to introduce algorithmic trading strategies on the Reuters Trading for Foreign Exchange (RTFX) product next month.
Corporates wary of forex e-trading
NEW YORK – Corporates have been avoiding the use of electronic platforms in the execution of their foreign exchange trades, with most showing a preference for traditional voice trading.
Icap revenues soar on back of volatile forex markets
LONDON & NEW YORK – Volatile currency markets led to a 23% increase in annual foreign exchange revenue at interdealer broker Icap, according to results released last week (May 20).