Articles by Robert Mackenzie Smith
SOFR tipped to hit 300bp at quarter-end
US repo rate set for 25% spike thanks to French bank “window dressing” and US Treasury issuance
Jumbo SOFR swaps herald new world of repo betting
Swaps traders told to “learn repo market dynamics” as market catches glimpse of new trading strategy
CCP risk panels aren’t listening, banks say
Simmering resentment surfaces as two banks insist committees be more responsive to clearing members
Giancarlo admits he may not finish Sef rules
CFTC chairman says his successor may have to finish regulation
Capital requirements for options are ‘crazy’ – DRW
Wilson says current rules penalise options, but SA-CCR does not go far enough to fix the problem
BNY Mellon’s markets head jumps to Royal Bank of Canada
Michelle Neal will join the Canadian firm in June as head of US Ficc
Drop margin on swaps leaving Libor, Basel says
Joined by Iosco, Basel says moves to Libor successors should not be saddled with margin requirements
Giancarlo opens door for prop firms to quote swaps
CFTC will grant no-action relief to non-banks that want to provide liquidity in cleared swaps
Volume ‘non-existent’, but SOFR backers are upbeat
ARRC members say despite appearances, SOFR is ahead of schedule and liquidity will come
DE Shaw rebukes Giancarlo’s big idea on Sefs
Hedge fund endorses electronic trading, as CFTC pushes for a return to old phone-based business
First SOFR term rate coming in 2020
Staff at the New York Fed are working on a series of backward-looking averages
Clients feel forgotten by Giancarlo’s swaps trading plans
Industry says wider Sef mandate ignores reality of dealer-to-client market
Giancarlo’s last stand: the race to complete Sef reforms
Part of flagship proposals could be left to his successor, putting their fate in doubt
A rush on Libor fallbacks to head off holdouts
Concerns that valuation changes will scare some off adoption may be accelerating Isda timeline
Libor may linger as regulators ‘change tune’
CFTC and FCA suggest benchmark could be kept alive to avoid cash market chaos
SOFR, so bad: liquidity lags transition ambitions
Thin current trading may lead to poor fallback choices, and dim SOFR’s appeal ahead of Libor’s death
Legislative fix sought for Libor fallbacks
Federal law makes it “almost impossible” to change benchmark rates for FRNs
BrokerTec outage serves as ‘systemic risk’ wake-up call
January 11 shutdown of dominant US Treasury market platform worries participants
FICC takes firm grip of US repo market
Central counterparty wrangled more money market repo cash than banks did by end-2018
Repo rate hits 7.25% on year-end volatility
US Treasury issuance on December 31 said to have fuelled last-minute dash for cash
FX swaps to avoid year-end basis blowout, banks say
Earlier rollovers likely to ensure no repeat of previous cross-currency volatility
CME abandons buy-side direct clearing initiative
CCP shutters plan after feedback from regulators and market participants
BlueCrest seeks direct membership at LCH’s SwapClear
Investment firm to make leap away from clearing broker reliance
More carrot, less stick in US Libor transition
Risk USA: US regulators take softer approach than UK counterparts