Trading
BoA builds algo FX capabilities
NEW YORK – Bank of America (BoA) has taken a major step towards building up its algorithmic trading capabilities in the FX space, with the acquisition of algorithmic-driven pricing and trading specialist, Financial Labs.
JPM creates new reporting structure
LONDON – JP Morgan has introduced a new reporting structure in FX following the departure of Frank Rawlins, head of spot FX for Europe and global head of metals trading at the bank in London.
CFTC charges another forex fraudster
WASHINGTON, DC – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last week charged an individual with defrauding more than $5 million by soliciting customers to trade foreign exchange futures contracts via hedge funds.
Bearish dollar view supports JP Morgan
JP Morgan has climbed up the table to take top spot in this week's three-month forecasts rankings, owing to a committed but moderate bearish dollar view.
SG CIB names deputy
PARIS – Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking has made Serge Topolanski deputy head of Europe and Asia global FX activities – a newly created position.
Opportunities from Asian tension
Niels Christensen , senior currency strategist at Société Générale in Paris, sees opportunities for dollar bulls and bears when trading the Hong Kong dollar despite the peg
Dresdner builds in sales
LONDON – Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW) is building its sales capabilities globally, has introduced a new e-trading platform, and is developing its FX prime brokerage capabilities.
FX trading down for ABN Amro
AMSTERDAM – ABN Amro posted a large drop in income from foreign exchange dealing for 2005, despite a large increase in overall trading.
A new maturity for FX?
Justyn Trenner , chief executive and principal of consultancy firm ClientKnowledge, says a more discriminating approach to how liquidity is channelled is essential to the continued growth of the market
BarCap takes eFX options trading to the next level
LONDON – Barclays Capital last week became the first bank to launch live two-way streaming tradable prices for FX options.
JPM creates new reporting structure
LONDON – JP Morgan has introduced a new reporting structure in FX following the departure of Frank Rawlins, head of spot FX for Europe and global head of metals trading at the bank in London.
Forex trading volume soars in 2005
Foreign exchange turnover continued to surge last year, according to surveys from the foreign exchange joint standing committee (FXJSC) chaired by the Bank of England and the FX committee (FXC) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
EBS to put data on sale
LONDON – EBS is to sell historical FX data to banks and non-bank traders via a new service called EBS Data Mine.
Lloyds looks to raise its FX profile
Lloyds TSB may not be well known for FX, but it has made a big-name hire that it hopes will enable it to continue buiding its presence in the fiercely competitive UK market
Knight Capital in landmark deal with Hotspot FXi
NEW JERSEY – Knight Capital last week announced plans to acquire electronic currency network Hotspot FXi in a landmark deal worth $77.5 million.
A big year down under: AUD out-performs NZD
Four reasons why AUD/NZD is going higher in 2006, by Adam Cole , senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets in London
Singapore releases inaugural forex volumes survey
SINGAPORE – The Singapore Foreign Exchange Committee released its inaugural survey of foreign exchange volume in the city-state last week.
Hedging foreign currency earnings with basket options
By Ramon Espinosa , GFX-Portfolio and risk strategy, Jim Kamphoefner , GFX solutions and Andria McLintock , GFX options at Bank of America
EBS ends sale speculation
LONDON – Interdealer broker Icap last week confirmed it is in discussions to acquire electronic forex heavyweight EBS.
Western Union joins forces with Travelex
LONDON – Western Union, the worldwide money transfer service, and Travelex, the world's largest non-bank foreign exchange payment firm, have signed an exclusive agreement whereby the latter offers Western Union's transfer service.
Support for the greenback is fading
The factors supporting US dollar strength are starting to wear off, according to Trevor Williams, chief economist at Lloyds TSB Financial Markets in London.
Commerz continues to rebuild
FRANKFURT & LONDON – Commerzbank has boosted its FX team with four new hires in London and Frankfurt, as it continues to rebuild after cutbacks in late 2004.
BOA falls in FX
NEW YORK – Bank of America (BoA) posted a fall-off in FX trading-related revenue for 2005 versus the previous year in its annual results released last week.
Sale offers a fresh start for EBS
And they're off! Yes it's finally out in the open, EBS is up for sale, and we've got a good idea who the runners and riders are.