Foreign exchange
FCStone disposes of loss-making energy account
FCStone Group, an integrated commodity risk management firm, expects losses of $110m from an unnamed customer's energy trading account, which it disposed of this week.
CME Group one step closer to CDS clearing
US exchange operator Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group has come one step closer to entering the credit derivatives market by signing a deal to clear credit default swaps (CDSs) on financial information services company Markit's CDX and iTraxx…
Arc looks East with Russian product
Arc Capital and Income has unveiled a new product for UK investors linked to Russian companies trading on the London Stock Exchange. The product began as a bespoke offer for advisory firms and is now being rolled out to retail clients with a minimum…
Stimulus targets US transmission issues
Obama's stimulus plan will put key infrastructure in place to support the continued growth of renewable energy in the US, finds Pauline McCallion
Paul Newman
To celebrate its 15th anniversary this year, Energy Risk brings you interviews with the veterans who have helped shape today's energy markets. Paul Newman, oil derivatives pioneer and managing director of Icap Energy, discusses the past 15 years in…
New heads for Freddie Mac after $50 billion losses
US government-supported mortgage buyer Freddie Mac has named its new chairman and chief executive, after reporting a loss of $50.1 billion for 2008.
Dealer interest delays LCH.Clearnet and DTCC deal
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has pushed back the deadline for its takeover talks with LCH.Clearnet, in the face of a rival bid from a group of major dealers.
Dealer predicts 85% of CDSs could be centrally cleared by end of 2009
The head of credit derivatives at a major dealer has told Risk he expects to see 35-40% of the credit default swap (CDS) market centrally cleared by the end of June, and as much as 85% by year's end barring any unforeseen mishaps.
People should be frightened of FSA, says Sants
The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) will adopt a tougher, more intrusive regulatory policy, in an attempt to bring the fear factor back to regulation, chief executive Hector Sants warned today.
DB and Stemcor forge steel trading alliance
Deutsche Bank has formed a strategic alliance with the world's largest independent steel trader Stemcor to offer steel derivatives products.
Is it all over for over-the-counter?
Bills proposed in the US Congress to limit the influence of speculators and boost transparency could significantly alter the OTC commodity trading landscape. Roderick Bruce reports
EDF slammed by Tartam tariff pricing
The French government's implementation of regulated energy prices has hammered its state-owned champion's 2008 results and undermined market liberalisation. Roderick Bruce reports
Constellation refocuses
Loss-making firm Constellation Energy looks to restructure and focus on power generation after rejecting a merger deal with MidAmerican
Banks pull back from market-making
A lack of OTC market-making is causing concern about long-term liquidity in the energy markets. The future of market-making depends on the banking industry, reports Katie Holliday
Banks pull back from market-making
A lack of OTC market-making is causing concern about long-term liquidity in the energy markets. The future of market-making depends on the banking industry, reports Katie Holliday
Dow Jones offers South Asian Federation indexes
Index provider Dow Jones Indexes and the South Asian Federation of Exchanges (Safe) have launched the Dow Jones Safe 100 Index and the Dow Jones Safe Pakistan Index, which measure the performance of blue-chip companies in five of the eight member states…
UBS admits Sfr20.9 billion loss for 2008
Swiss bank UBS recorded a bigger-than-expected net loss of Sfr20.9 billion ($18.03 billion) for 2008, driven by losses and writedowns on exposures to US real estate assets.
Bank nationalisation not an option, conference told
Calls for the short-term nationalisation of US banks are impractical, since the US government cannot nationalise all banks simultaneously, and nationalising only a few will prove unworkable, delegates at the Chicago Board Options Exchange risk management…
Time ripe for inflation investments and hedges, says Sinopia chief
The launch of a variety of fiscal stimulus packages by Asian and western governments combined with quantitative easing by some central banks has renewed concerns about the risk of significant increases in future inflation rates around the world.
SunTrust broadens exposure with deposit product
SunTrust Bank has launched a certificate of deposit (CD) for US investors which offers exposure to a World Basket of US, Japanese and European equity indexes. The five-year CDs pay a minimum fixed return of 3% at maturity, plus 100% of initial investor…
Agora-X launches OTC platform for energy and metals
Agora-X, an electronic trading platform, has launched a new platform for the negotiation, execution and clearing of over-the-counter (OTC) trades in energy and metal contracts.
Bernanke calls for regulatory overhaul of financial system
An overhaul of how the government regulates the financial system is required to prevent future economic crises, said US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke in a speech delivered before the Council of Foreign Relations in Washington today.