Helen Bartholomew
London bureau chief
Helen Bartholomew is London bureau chief for Risk.net.
She has written on a range of derivatives and markets topics including benchmark reform, margin rules, equity derivatives and structured products. Prior to joining Risk.net, she was derivatives editor for International Financing Review, part of Thomson Reuters, where she previously reported on debt and equity capital markets.
Helen holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Durham, UK.
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Articles by Helen Bartholomew
Swaps users mull ‘big bang’ for SOFR discounting
Cleared and bilateral US dollar swaps could move to SOFR discounting on the same day in 2020
German CDS switch creates credit-linked note mismatch
Note issuers fear losses after relabelling of swap contracts creates subordination discrepancy
LCH basis swap templates may aid Libor conversion
Compression providers say new templates will make risk replacement trades more efficient
Isda’s CDS fix draws murmurs of dissent
Proposed changes don’t go far enough for some; others say it will block legitimate activity
Autocall concentration weighs on dealers
Hedging headaches force issuers to seek new structured product blockbusters
FSB says fallbacks should kick in if Libor no longer accurate
Isda plans to consult on what to do if a benchmark is no longer representative of underlying markets
Dealers seek clarity on buy-side IM relief
Hundreds of buy-side firms may still need to calculate margin and get models approved
Once bitten, twice shy: UK traders wary of inflation reform
Proposals to fix RPI methodology flaws are back on the agenda, but traders have been caught out before
Differing European approaches may hamper Ibor transition
While sterling shifts to Sonia, efforts to save Euribor create euro multi-rate uncertainty
CDSs get subjective
Legal certainty loses out to commercial objectives in race to fix manufactured defaults
Isda proposes fix for ‘manufactured defaults’
Failure-to-pay must be linked to a deterioration in creditworthiness to trigger CDS payouts
Swaps market heading for Libor fallbacks clash
Euro market goes own way on question of how to replace term Ibors with overnight RFRs
Brexit novations ‘on hold’ to gain reg relief
Conditional relief would subject early swaps movers to clearing and margin rules
LCH plans 2020 switch to SOFR discounting
Users opt for one-step switch to new US dollar regime, as long as CCP cooks up compensation scheme
‘Imperfect hedge’ magnified equities slump at BNPP
US index loss, dislocations and weak demand produce worst equity trading results in a decade
UBS wins approval for €32bn Brexit swaps transfer
Decision tests boundaries of deposit-taking element, after Barclays had part of its earlier transfer rejected
Caveats and slapped wrists in Barclays’ Brexit swaps switch
Judge blocks transfer of some trades from non-deposit taking entity and slams “unrealistic” timeline
Hope fading for margin threshold hike
Smaller buy-side firms could still escape compliance burden via expected regulatory guidance
Eurostoxx dislocations signal autocall hedging pain
Swings in dividends and volatility reveal year-end stress as European index slump tests “peak vega”
Lobbyists seek eleventh-hour Brexit relief for UK futures
EC urged to extend CCP safe harbour so listed derivatives don’t switch to OTC
Isda seeks consensus on CDS clean-up
Credit definitions amendments expected in Q1 to stamp out manipulated triggers
Natixis’s €260m hit blamed on big books and Kospi3 product
Rivals say French dealer grew business too quickly – with leveraged version of Korean index one source of pain
NatWest kick-starts Brexit swaps transfer
Bank follows Barclays and UBS with plans to continue serving EU clients as ‘no-deal’ looms