Trading
US equity markets to lead dollar path
US equity market performance will become critical for the dollar, say Neil Mellor and Simon Derrick, currency strategists at Bank of New York in London
AIB repays e 26m for overcharging
Customers to be repaid as regulator's report details AIB's "failures" DUBLIN – Allied Irish Banks (AIB) said it is repaying e 26 million ($32 million) it overcharged clients on three million FX deals, after a regulator slammed the bank in a report last…
Billiton transfers forex to Europe
MELBOURNE – Australian banks in the UK could see added flow going through their FX dealing desks later this year, when the world's largest mining company transfers its remaining forex trading from Melbourne to Europe.
IGM calls Swissie's 3m rise
The Swiss franc appreciated more than 5% over the past three months, as disappointing eurozone data made it a better comparative bet than euro against the sinking dollar. The Swiss National Bank's surprise June 16 interest rate hike, and much better than…
Making amends for seasonal trends
Lower volatility and range-bound markets call for capital preservation with enhanced yields during the summer, says Jeffrey Lins, director of quantitative analysis at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen
e-fx AWARDS
The FX Week inaugural e-FX Awards
Is sterling heading for a fall?
Falling UK corporate profitability and a new cable high spurs memories of 1992 and Black Monday, says Hans Redeker, global head of FX strategy at BNP Paribas in London
Yuan convertibility moves a step closer
BEIJING – China took another step closer to yuan convertibility last week with an announcement that it is further liberalising non-trade related currency transactions. From August, more multi-national firms throughout the People’s Republic will be able…
Industry altered by e-trading
NEW YORK – E-trading has changed the way banks communicate with their clients, agreed panelists in an e-FX debate at the FX Week USA Congress last week.
FXC issues broker points rules
NEW YORK – The Foreign Exchange Committee, a US industry association affiliated to the Federal Reserve, last week issued new guidelines on broker ‘points’ – the issue at the heart of last year’s massive Wall Street forex fraud.
Selling options to resolve carry trade dilemma
Clients are putting off dollar/yen carry trades until the yen appreciates. But by selling options on cross-currency swaps, clients could earn money while waiting for the Japanese unit to reach a level more suitable for a carry trade, says Phileas Wong,…
The flight from NAB continues
LONDON – The flood of departures from National Australia Bank (NAB) continued last week as three senior institutional dealers left the bank in London and New York.
US regulator loses retail fraud case appeal
CHICAGO – US regulator the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has lost an appeal to assert its jurisdiction over a retail FX trading firm it accused of fraud. Appeal court judges found in the test case of the futures regulator and AlaronFX of…
US banks still seeing record earnings
NEW YORK – Record earnings from foreign exchange continued into the first half, according to US banks’ financial results published last week. Citigroup, State Street and Bank of America all reported new highs in their FX or trading results, as currency…
EBS Live doubles data delivery frequency
LONDON – Electronic broker EBS last week announced an enhancement to its recently launched direct data feed EBS Live to double the frequency of its FX spot rate ‘time slices’ to 500 milliseconds.
Structured euro deposit adds cash as it hedges
A structured deposit denominated in euro can fulfill the twin goals of a European company by hedging its US dollar payables and generating a cash-rich position in its functional currency, says Didier Meyer, FX structurer at SG Corporate and Investment…
Central bank financing down
Foreign central bank financing of the US trade deficit is now below 30%. This means the quality of financing of the US structural deficit continues to deteriorate and pressure to sell the dollar will intensify, says Chris Turner, senior partner for FX at…
JPMC’s merger plans revealed
NEW YORK – JP Morgan Chase’s plans to absorb Bank One’s global foreign exchange trading business became clear last week, following the completion of the US banks’ merger on July 1.
Euro doubts remain despite EC growth forecasts
LONDON – Economic growth in the eurozone is set to exceed the European Commission’s forecast of 1.7% in 2004, it said in its quarterly report last week – but analysts remain sceptical that this will be enough to sustain the euro’s current rally.
Forex TV moves to Nymex trading floor
NEW YORK – Forex Television is this month moving to a trading floor in the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) building. The trading floor will be operated by sister firm e-FX Trader, which was set up in March to offer trading services in conjunction…
Baltics, Slovenia set for early euro adoption
LONDON – Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia are likely to be the first of the new European Union member states to adopt the euro, Fitch Ratings said last week.
Rupiah vol ahead as elections continue
JAKARTA – The Indonesian rupiah continued to rise last week, hitting 9,000 against the dollar following a smooth first round to the country’s first-ever presidential elections. But market participants are wary of the medium-term outlook as the country…
International Assets buys Global Currencies
FLORIDA – International Assets Holding Corporation (Intl), an emerging market-focused financial services company, last week (July 7) purchased the FX operations of UK-based Global Currencies for $2.4 million. The payment comprised $1 million cash plus…