Regulation
Richmond launches currency fund for Asia
HONG KONG -- Richmond Asset Management is set to launch a new fund in Hong Kong this month, to capitalise on increased opportunities to profit from currency strengthening, officials said last week. The Bermuda-based Currency Optimiser fund will be…
IAS39 amended for macro hedging
LONDON -- The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) last week announced an amendment to IAS39 to aid the use of macro hedging.
ScotPower’s £400m dollar hedging boon
Glasgow -- International energy firm ScottishPower has made £400 million ($728 million) from hedging its US dollar revenues, it said last week.
ACI issues reminder on funds
PARIS -- Industry body ACI last week issued a reminder of its recommendations on overpaid funds.
The zero-cost double KO/KI forward
A double knock-out/knock-in forward may provide a Mexican manufacturer with an effective zero-cost hedge, say Vincent Lee and Richard Stang, vice-presidents in FX sales at TD Securities in Toronto
Banks unclear on new research rules
LONDON -- The UK’s FX Joint Standing Committee is to host a meeting with UK regulator the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to clarify the forex implications of FSA rules on research that were released last week.
Watchdog savages NAB
MELBOURNE -- National Australia Bank’s currency options desk will remain closed until it has satisfied requirements issued by its regulator in a damning report released last week.
Seven leave Dresdner in FX flight
LONDON -- Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London is facing an exodus of staff from foreign exchange, with at least seven leaving the bank in London and New York in the past month.
Volatility and leverage key for Euro importer
Trading volatility allows a European importer to improve its dollar buying rate and mitigate Asian strengthening says Silash Ruparell in European FX sales at Lehman Brothers in London
Asian regulators ease restrictions
HONG KONG -- Banks in Northeast Asia are rushing to apply for licences to enable them to transact non-renminbi derivatives in China, following a relaxation of the rules from March 1.
Correlation for hedging and speculation
One of the most surprising FX developments in the past year has been the re-emergence of the use of correlation products. Ade Odunsi, a director in Merrill Lynch’s FX risk advisory group in New York, suggests two such solutions for a hedging and a…
Near-term ringgit peg change unlikely
KUALA LUMPUR -- Despite recent reported comments from Malaysia’s second finance minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Malaysia is unlikely to change the ringgit’s current peg to the US dollar -- at least until the country’s general election is over.
IASB set to launch Euro advisory group
LONDON -- IASB, the International Standards Board, has invited senior officials to form a European consultative group to advise on issues related to the application of accounting standards.
Politics overshadows economics for zloty
WARSAW -- The resignation of the Polish prime minister from the leadership of the ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) Party will lead to continued volatility in the zloty, which is already close to record lows, analysts said last week.
NAB report to reveal ‘control breakdowns’
MELBOURNE -- Pricewaterhouse- Coopers’ (PWC) report on the forex options trading scandal that has shaken National Australia Bank (NAB) in recent weeks is expected to expose a number of risk control problems at the bank, Graham Kraehe, NAB’s new chairman,…
FXCM hits back at CFTC charge
NEW YORK -- Online trading firm Forex Capital Markets (FXCM) hit back at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last week, after the regulator charged it with liability for an allegedly fraudulent trading firm.
Reflationary effects on dollar/yen
Strong cross-border portfolio inflows into Japan are unlikely to falter. Consider either Seagull or reverse knock-in option strategies to protect against further yen strength, say State Street Global Markets’ currency options and currency strategy teams
Market to test central banks post-G7
LONDON -- The G7 communiqué released after the Boca Raton meeting on February 7 will lead to the market testing the resolve of central banks to limit FX moves, analysts agreed last week.
New accounting rules put focus on training
LONDON -- New accounting regulations and recent instances of suspected fraud in the forex markets should make training financial markets staff a top priority, said officials at online training firm Intuition in London.
IASB to create advisory group
LONDON -- IASB, the International Accounting Standards Board, is investigating the establishment of an advisory forum, following comments from euro official Frits Bolkestein last month that standards for the treatment of derivatives are still unsuitable…
ACI reaffirms manager liability for fraud
LONDON -- Ultimate responsibility for misdemeanours on the trading floor rests with senior management, forex industry body ACI reminded market participants last week, in a letter prompted by recent reports of "alleged fraud or malpractice" in the…
Firms race for North American retail investors
NEW YORK -- Trading firms and exchanges are building FX products targeting the retail market, as retail investor interest in foreign exchange soars in North America.
NAB ‘rogue trading’ dates from 2002
MELBOURNE -- Alleged rogue trading in forex options at National Australia Bank (NAB) had been going on for at least a year before the bank’s original estimate, an NAB official said last week, as the bank revised its final estimate for losses up to A$360…
Spotlight on ‘points’ post FBI inquiry
NEW YORK -- The New York FX Committee is likely to revise its guidelines on FX trading and operational risk management this year, when it concludes a review into issues arising from the FBI’s arrests of 47 currency traders last November.