Risk management
The risky business of trading
The case for banks entering the retail market with trading platforms of their own seems to be getting stronger.
Thailand to scrap controls
BANGKOK - The Bank of Thailand's plans to get rid of remaining capital controls will lead to a widening of the spread between the onshore and offshore spot rates, say analysts.
Raised margin requirements threat to global liquidity?
CHICAGO - The Chicago futures exchanges' decision to raise margin requirements could affect global liquidity, warn analysts.
CLS mulls netting option
NEW YORK - CLS is reviewing the possibility of launching a netting service, as the settlement platform looks to adapt to the changing landscape.
Retail FX offers lucrative returns
LONDON - Retail FX traders account for $50 billion of the $2.5 trillion a day FX market, according to research released last week.
Philippines makes progress towards forex liberalisation
MANILA – The central bank of the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), last week approved a package of reforms set to liberalise the country's regulatory framework for FX.
Weighing up the alternatives
Jeffrey Lins , Executive Director of Quantitative Analysis at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen, evaluates the pitfalls of using maximum drawdown-based performance measures, and points to recent advances that may help to expand opportunities for investment…
NAB options saga closes
MELBOURNE – National Australia Bank (NAB) said last week the final remaining remedial actions imposed on it following the A$360 million (US$283 million) FX options scandal had ended.
JP Morgan launches implied volatility indexes
LONDON – JP Morgan has launched indexes tracking the level of G7 and emerging-market implied volatility, which it says will appeal to the wider institutional investor community.
Algo trading to double, says Eurex
CHICAGO – "The rise in activity of algorithmic traders is impressive, and it's changing the nature of electronic trading," said Andreas Preuss, chief executive of Eurex.
Margin trading – an untapped opportunity
Brian Maccaba , executive chairman of Cognotec, highlights the huge growth in web-based FX margin trading and argues that banks cannot afford to ignore the opportunities that this presents
The carry trade shows best returns
LONDON – Carry trading can still produce positive returns, but trend trading models are losing ground, Citigroup's risk advisory group director, Jessica James told the FX Week Europe Congress.
Citigroup plays catch-up
Citigroup's recent investment in forex technology appears to be paying off, as demonstrated by the bank's resurgence this year
Malaysia sets up payment-versus-payment system
HONG KONG & KUALA LUMPUR – The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Malaysia's central bank (Bank Negara Malaysia) launched a cross-border payment-versus-payment (PvP) settlement system last week.
ABN Amro cuts 500 more IT and risk jobs
AMSTERDAM – The Dutch banking group ABN Amro is cutting 500 more jobs from its IT and risk divisions, according to bank officials.
E-commerce source of best forex talent, says market
GLOBAL – Forex staff with e-FX skills and experience are the new recruitment market 'sweet spot', according to banks and headhunters.
Hedging ahead of takeover activity
Stephane Knauf, Global Head of FX Structuring at Citigroup in New York, proposes deal-contingent forwards and options to hedge risks ahead of a potential cross-border acquisition
Big banks prepare for retail FX push
SINGAPORE – Major banks are about to enter the online retail FX trading market-place "with a vengeance", said Brian Maccaba, chairman of FX dealing platform vendor Cognotec.
Flextrade to launch block trading platform
NEW YORK – Trading technology vendor Flextrade plans to launch the first block FX trading platform for the sell-side and buy-side next month, FX Week has learned.
Managing exposure to forex volatility
Manuel Deijk in the structured FX team at UBS looks at a selection of quantitative methods applied in the implementation of FX risk management policies
Human touch will always be needed
Markets have been on the move again this week. Comments from retired Fed chairman Alan Greenspan about the US housing market and noise surrounding China's reserve policy ensured that the greenback at last broke through the 1.26–1.28 range that it had…
Flextrade to launch block trading platform
NEW YORK – Trading technology vendor Flextrade plans to launch the first block FX trading platform for the sell-side and buy-side next month, FX Week has learned.
How Saxo gained the Midas touch
Lars Seier Christensen and Kim Fournais have seen their business plan unfold since 1992 from FX broking boutique to billion dollar internet bank, reports Rob Shepherd