Regulation
Regulators plan co-ops as answer to OTC fragmentation
CLS Bank-style regulatory council could be applied to trade repositories and CCPs to avert market fragmentation, but French regulators are not convinced
Eurozone members expected to decrease, Bloomberg survey finds
The results of the vendor’s latest industry poll suggest the number of countries in the eurozone will fall within the next five years
Yen expected to remain weak as long as Greek package is implemented
Foreign exchange strategists and traders have judged this week's Japanese intervention a success in weakening the yen, and believe USD/JPY should remain higher as long as the eurozone crisis doesn’t spiral out of control and spark a flight back to the…
AUDIO: The Enronisation of Europe
Nick Beecroft, senior markets consultant at Saxo Bank, discusses the weaknesses in the EU bailout package, and the broader implications of a Greek referendum on the Eurozone
A tax too far?
The European Commission's recent proposal to impose a financial transaction tax from 2014 appears to ignore lessons learned in drafting other recent regulations
Turkish intervention poses threat of inverted currency war
A wave of intervention by Turkey and Poland’s central banks to strengthen the lira and the zloty could lead to an inverted currency war if other central banks follow suit, according to strategists. Chiara Albanese reports
Corporates fall on tough times
The recent volatility in foreign exchange markets has caused uncertainty for corporate treasurers and led to some changes in their strategies. How are banks helping corporates to tackle the current challenges and the increased costs that will result from…
Industry lobbying against EU transaction tax intensifies
The European Commission’s recent proposal to tax financial transactions by up to 0.1% has sparked a frenzied wave of lobbying from industry bodies concerned it could drive FX trading outside the EU and diminish London’s standing as an FX centre. Chiara…
Industry calls for further clarity on Mifid II
The European Commission tabled proposals to revise the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive on October 20. But traders remain concerned about the implications of a one-size-fits-all approach to foreign exchange
FX Week Asia: Options clearing on hold, prime brokers confirm
FX clearing will be restricted to non-deliverable forwards as US authorities discuss whether settlement risk can be properly managed for cleared FX options, according to speakers at the FX Week Asia conference in Singapore
FX Week Asia: World economy 'needs alternative reserve currency'
Chinese renminbi looks poised for reserve status, but still no consensus on when it will happen due to forces beyond "anyone's control", senior academic tells FX Week Asia conference in Singapore
Emerging markets focus to boost NDFs despite clearing costs
The growth of the non-deliverable forwards market will not be hit by impending clearing laws
Multiple repositories will protect against technological failure
Regis-Tr will roll out its reporting services for foreign exchange in mid-November
RMB’s rise to reserve currency status accelerates
The possibility that renminbi will become a reserve currency in its own right appears to be becoming a reality, as a number of central banks have begun to diversify into the Chinese currency. Chiara Albanese reports
Central banks shy away from euro reserves
New data from the IMF’s currency reserves database suggests reserves accumulation has slowed during 2011 and the appetite to hold euro reserves has also waned, particularly on the part of emerging market central banks
Buy-side firms await regulatory clarity
Many buy-side firms are still holding back on introducing systems and processes for central clearing – but time might be running out
Intervention: friend or foe?
If the trend is your friend, is central bank intervention your enemy? The answer is not so clear cut, say Christopher Cruden and Purnur Schneider, not least because of the breadth of interventions, which challenges attempts at uniform analysis
Read the new edition of FX Invest now!
If anyone needed any more reason to seriously think about employing a foreign exchange policy, then September should just about have done it.
Regulation will reshape FX liquidity, says Rule Financial
Uncertainty about regulatory changes could hurt liquidity in the first instance, but the advent of Sefs might cause trade volumes to rise, according to consultants
Academic opposition to FX exemption debated at Isda’s Europe conference
Speaking in London on September 20, Craig Pirrong supports the unpopular position of fellow academic Darrell Duffie that FX swaps and forwards should not necessarily be exempt from the mandatory clearing requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act, as recommended…
Understand your contract of employment
Banks typically write confidentiality clauses into employment contracts, as well as restrictive clauses preventing former employees from approaching clients and staff. But do these clauses stand up in court? By Andrew Young
Long Swiss franc players hit by SNB move
Sudden depreciation of the Swiss franc, following an SNB announcement last Tuesday that it would buy unlimited amounts of foreign currency, has left some participants nursing hefty losses.
SNB faces battle to maintain franc currency floor
Swiss National Bank pledges to set minimum euro exchange rate at Sfr1.20, but analysts express concern over central bank’s ability to maintain exchange rate floor
Oanda continues to boost global presence with Japan operation
Oanda chief executive Michael Stumm attributes the decision to open operation in Japan to regulatory changes