Uncertainty stokes demand for rates 'tasting menu'

Structurers are working hard to offer solutions that take into account today’s unpredictable rates environment. But is anyone winning? David Wigan reports

Uncertainty over the outlook for interest rates in Europe and the US has presented structuring desks with a complex set of demands from investors, who want to square the circle of their desire for returns in a low-yield environment and the potential need to hedge rate rises this year.

The rates structuring space remains at the mercy of the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank (ECB), whose firm grip on liquidity provision has made it challenging for market participants to model the