Trading
Ex-BNP FX head joins Bear
LONDON - Bear Stearns has realigned senior foreign exchange management in Europe, with Loïc Meinnel, former global head of FX at BNP Paribas, taking the helm in London.
Carrying a mixed bag
Analysts polled by FX Week reveal an industry split on the sustainability of resurging risk appetite and the future of yen-based carry trades. Compiled by Wendy Mock
Platforms see record trading in volatile markets
LONDON - Interdealer broker Icap and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) posted record trading volumes last Tuesday (Jan 22), amid an upswing in market volatility.
FX thrives in South Korea
SEOUL - Foreign exchange derivatives were behind the large gains posted by banks operating in South Korea in the third quarter of 2007, according to official statistics.
Calyon chief heads Newedge
LONDON, NEW YORK, PARIS - Newedge, the joint venture institutional brokerage formed through the merger of Calyon Financial and Fimat, last week, announced its new foreign exchange line up.
Reduced growth will fuel FX competition
As the market gears up for a fresh year of activity, Patrick Lefler, FX consultant at Wall Street Systems, predicts the key FX market developments in 2008
FX adds shine to banks' Q4 results
BOSTON & NEW YORK - State Street's acquisition of Currenex led the US bank to a strong 2007 fourth-quarter performance, despite the year's subprime woes.
UK pension funds face cashflow crisis
LONDON - A predicted GBP downturn means pension funds in the UK need to be prepared to pay out "real money" on losses from passive currency hedges on their overseas investments, warned currency managers.
Citi launches Japan desk in India
NEW DELHI - Citigroup is launching a Japan-focused desk in New Delhi at the end of January, to cater to a growing number of Japanese corporate clients in the country.
Yen stands strong
Philip Brass, global head of CitiFX flows in London, predicts a prolonged period of yen strength as holders of short yen positions change their investment strategies
CLS product expansion welcomed
CLS's announcement last week that it has begun settling credit derivatives trades demonstrates the industry utility's efforts to reduce the unit cost and total bill for settling forex trades over the system.
CFTC stays quiet on forex scam
WASHINGTON DC - The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said it could neither "confirm nor deny" the existence of an investigation by its offices into a US man who allegedly defrauded investors millions of dollars.
Danske Markets expands with GFI's Fenics FX
LONDON - Danske Markets is rolling out pricing and risk management software Fenics FX in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, London, Dublin, Belfast, Luxembourg and Warsaw.
Informa wins with weak-dollar view
Informa Global Markets topped this week's one-month forecast rankings by maintaining a longstanding view of US dollar weakness versus the euro and yen.
UBS wins A&L's options outsourcing
LEICESTER - Alliance & Leicester (A&L) has contracted UBS to provide foreign exchange options technology to the UK bank.
Deutsche woos private clients
LONDON - Deutsche Bank has established a private clients foreign exchange team in London and Zurich, to target the expanding high-net-worth client base.
Rand Merchant Bank to roll out e-trading
JOHANNESBURG - Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), a division of FirstRand Bank, plans to go live with a multi-asset class electronic trading platform by Q3.
CME e-trading upgrades save time and money
CHICAGO - CME Group has announced several product and technology enhancements aimed at reducing response time and cost.
FX market goes back to fundamentals
LONDON - A correction in overvalued currencies and risk aversion will promote strategies based on economic factors and real value this year, say analysts.
Dah Sing Bank deploys Fenics FX
HONG KONG - Dah Sing Bank has begun using foreign exchange options pricing and risk management system Fenics FX, developed by interdealer broker GFI, at its Hong Kong-based treasury department.
Barclays promotes four FX managing directors
LONDON & FRANKFURT - Barclays Capital's foreign exchange division has started the new year with four new managing directors.
Swedbank goes live with e-FX price stream
STOCKHOLM - Swedbank plans to offer streaming foreign exchange rates over its proprietary platform and multi-bank platform, FXall, by the end of this month.
Nordea builds algorithms
COPENHAGEN - Nordea plans to begin using algorithms for trading and risk management within the first half of this year, a senior official has told FX Week .
UBS launches Greenhouse Index
LONDON - UBS is set to launch UBS Greenhouse Index (UBS-GHI), a tradable investment benchmark tracking a combination of weather futures and greenhouse gas emissions credits, on January 23.