Trading
CFTC charges 13 with defrauding $6m
WASHINGTON, DC – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has charged 13 Florida residents with defrauding nearly 400 customers of more than $6 million. The CFTC filed a complaint on December 22 charging the 13 with fraudulently misappropriating…
UBS and Bloomberg deal draws criticism
LONDON – UBS and Bloomberg started their year off controversially after a deal for global futures trading through the market data terminal drew criticism from brokers. Under the agreement set in place in 2004, futures trades placed by new users of the…
PBoC liberalises derivatives
BEIJING – The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) issued new regulations allowing banks to trade renminbi forwards and cross-currency swaps in the interbank FX market.
Best practice guidelines for prime brokerage
NEW YORK – The Foreign Exchange Committee (FXC) last month issued best practice guidelines for prime brokerage in response to rising participation and transaction volumes in the space.
Forex head leaves RBC Capital Markets
TORONTO – RBC Capital Markets' most senior member of foreign exchange staff has left the bank, a source on the desk has confirmed.
Canadian dollar hits new heights
OTTAWA – Almost four years after it hit an all-time low, the Canadian dollar (loonie) is riding on the crest of a wave after reaching its highest level in years.
Record results for US banks
NEW YORK – US investment banks have stormed through 2005, with record-breaking results from fixed-income divisions released last week.
Enigma – a cracking good model
Pete Eggleston, head of quant solutions at the Royal Bank of Scotland, financial markets, in London, discusses systematic trading of FX implied volatility using the 'Enigma' model
Thinking outside the US dollar
Marios Maratheftis, FX strategist at Standard Chartered in London, sees an end to the dollar's rally, and describes how high yielders together with Asian and African currencies are offering exciting opportunities
BGC poaches seven from IFX
LONDON – A seven-strong sales and trading team are understood to have quit IFX Markets – the London-based financial trading and spread-betting company – last Friday.
ODL expands into Chicago
LONDON – ODL Securities is expanding its global presence with a new sales office in Chicago, according to a senior official in London.
NYSE launches euro-linked shares
NEW YORK – The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) last week launched shares linked to the euro, demonstrating the growing demand for exchange-traded currency products.
Yen reverses weakening trend
The yen staged a comeback last week, reversing a trend of weakness against the greenback seen since June, when dollar/yen hit 108.17.
Bank forex heads look to alternative staffing options
LONDON – Forex desk heads are increasingly looking to poach staff from other areas within their banks in a bid to limit wage inflation.
New service from IF
LONDON – IFX markets is set to launch a money management service aimed at third-party clients in the new year.
Over-the-counter options drop down under, says Afma
SYDNEY – Trading in over-the-counter options fell by more than a third this year, according to figures released by the Australian Financial Markets Association (Afma).
Dollar strength hits accuracy
Wide-of-the-mark forecasts mean the three- and twelve-month rankings have seen more and more inaccuracy in recent weeks, with an average divergence this week of 6.39 and 12.4, respectively.
M&G to sign with FX Connect
LONDON – M&G is set to sign up with FX Connect in the early part of next year, as it looks to take its FX transactions onto an electronic basis.
Turkish lira joining mainstream
ANKARA – Just a few years ago the Turkish Lira (TRY) was seen as a unit on the risky side of the emerging market spectrum, but the market is now taking it seriously.
Travelex targets Aussie corps
MELBOURNE – Global forex specialist Travelex is set to target companies in Australia with the launch there of an online system early next year.
The FX implications of the gold-oil ratio
In a week that has seen gold hit a 24-year high, more attention is being paid to the inter-relationship between prices of fuel and metals, specifically oil and gold, says Ashraf Laidi, chief currency analyst at MG Financial in New York
Emerging markets options go online
LONDON – Banks are building up online capabilities for emerging market currency options as the market for the products continues to expand.