Articles by Mark Pengelly
Ups and downs
Seen as a simple solution for reducing counterparty risk by regulators, moving credit derivatives on to central clearing platforms is proving fiendishly complicated. While progress is being made, it is generating more questions than answers. Mark…
Contract counterattack
Efforts to recover the value of nearly 200,000 derivatives transactions conducted with Lehman Brothers have been frustrated by a provision of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association master agreement. But the bankrupt estate is fighting back
The end for ETNs?
The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers has hammered home the importance of counterparty risk, fuelling dire predictions for the future of exchange-traded notes. But while some product issuers are retreating from the area, others remain optimistic. By Mark…
Contract counterattack
Efforts to recover the value of nearly 200,000 derivatives transactions conducted with Lehman Brothers have been frustrated by a provision of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association master agreement. But the bankrupt estate is fighting back…
Adapt or fail
Since October last year, ructions in South Africa's foreign exchange rate have caused offshore hedge funds to exit the market, while dealers have been reluctant to take on risk. Those that remain active have had to adapt their behaviour as a result. By…
Gambling on dividends
Dividends have caused sizeable losses for dealers and investors over the recent months, as a precipitous fall in expectations has hit structured product issuers and those who participated in dividend swaps. Mark Pengelly investigates
Bonding exchanges
The Bond Exchange of South Africa has been taking tentative steps towards expansion since its demutualisation in 2007. Now, its future looks intimately intertwined with that of its former rival, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Mark Pengelly reports
Adapt or fail
Since October last year, extreme movements in South Africa's foreign exchange rate have caused offshore hedge funds to exit the market, while dealers have been reluctant to take on risk. Those that remain active have had to adapt their behaviour. By Mark…
When hedge funds attack
The financial crisis has combined with catastrophic performances among hedge funds to decimate the fund derivatives industry, staunching new deal flow and causing many banks to pull out of the business. Mark Pengelly reports
Time for change
The US has been at the centre of the storm raging through financial markets over the past year, and the country's regulators have been tasked with stemming the fallout from the crisis. John Dugan, comptroller of the currency, discusses the regulatory…
Gambling on dividends
Dividends have caused sizeable losses for dealers and investors over the past few months, as a precipitous fall in expectations has hit structured product issuers and those who participated in dividend swaps. Mark Pengelly investigates
Rocked by counterparty risk
The demise of Lehman Brothers has triggered fresh concerns about counterparty risk, creating a wave of novations and forcing dealers to think harder about the possibility of another major derivatives counterparty defaulting. Mark Pengelly reports