Analysis
Gazprom sates China demand at US expense?
As Gazprom forms closer ties with China for the sale of its gas, Lianna Brinded asks whether the US could soon be forced to pay higher prices for its gas imports
European power: Achieving transparency in Germany
Energy Risk’s series on European power markets focuses this month on Germany, Europe’s biggest power market and one of the best examples of market transparency. Rachel Morison looks at what can be learnt from it
Retrospective: Avoiding the barriers
This JP Morgan product from November 2008 linked to a basket of four Asian indexes and promised a 2.05% quarterly income payment. In the event of a kickout, however, capital was placed at risk and the amount returned to investors would depend on the…
Retrospective: A simple plan
Barclays Bank issued a straightforward minimum return product just before the financial crisis, linked to the performance of the FTSE 100 index. Ensuing volatility and widening CDS spreads show why such products are rare in today’s markets
Product performance
Comparing principal-protected, accelerated growth and reverse convertible products with August 2009 strike dates
Market snapshot
Tim Mortimer of Future Value Consultants looks at the pricing issues for structured products in different markets and provides his trade of the month
The liquidity gap
Regulators are increasing their focus on liquidity risk in response to the financial crisis, but there are questions about whether capital is an effective mitigant for liquidity risks and the nature of the relationship between liquidity risk and bank…
Calculating the liquidity premium
Market dislocation at the end of 2008 prompted calls from many in the insurance industry for the addition of a liquidity premium to the MCEV discount rate. Barrie & Hibbert’s Craig Turnbull and Delme Pritchard examine whether its inclusion is really…
Market snapshot
Tim Mortimer of Future Value Consultants looks at the pricing issues for structured products in different markets and provides his trade of the month
Product performance
Comparing principal-protected, accelerated growth and reverse convertible products with June 2009 strike dates
The callable countdown
JP Morgan has launched a callable countdown constant maturity swap range-accrual certificate of deposit that pays a coupon dependent on the proportion of days the CMS rate is within a 0-6.25% range. The tenor is 15 years and the product benefits from…
UK accumulation
Barclays is offering an accumulator product based on the FTSE 100, with lock-ins for every 15% rise in the index subject to a 60% cap. If the index does not trade above a 115% strike level and the 50% protection barrier is breached, capital is not…
Interest rates call
HSBC is offering US investors a 10-year investment in interest rates that pays 7% in year one and potentially as much in following years. The product is wrapped in a certificate of deposit, but investors may lose out if HSBC exercises its call at five…
Oil price volatility still concerns the market
After oil prices started to stabilise in the last quarter of 2009, all eyes turned to the market outlook for the year ahead. But as we enter a new decade, oil still remains at the top of the risk agenda and price forecasts differ vastly. Lianna Brinded…
Credit risk: The early warning signs
While more bullish analysts may be forecasting a return to growth for global economies, the threat of corporate bankruptcies remains elevated. Julia-Victoria Dück, Oliver Rambock and Christopher Hansert suggest a method for spotting the early warning…