Foreign exchange
Fed to support Fannie and Freddie
The US Federal Reserve has stepped in to support the struggling government-sponsored mortgage holders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
iShares extends inflation-linked bond ETF range
iShares, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) arm of Barclays Global Investors (BGI), plans to extend its inflation-linked bond ETF range, as inflation pressures continue to amount in global markets. At present, the iShares inflation-linked ETFs listed on the…
Cloudy skies prompt launch of new rainbow product
London and Capital has launched a capital guaranteed multi-asset rainbow plan which offers exposure to equities, commodities and property. It uses a lookback feature which will weight the classes differently according to their performance, offering…
PowerShares launches Frontier Countries ETF on Nasdaq
Invesco PowerShares has launched its frontier countries ETF, designed to offer access to particular equity markets in the Middle East and North Africa, on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Meteor banks on property market recovery
Meteor has launched a second kick-out plan banking on rises in the European commercial property market. It is linked to the performance of the FTSE European Public Real Estate Association Europe Index, which offers exposure to the publicly traded real…
Volatility in dry bulk freight rates
Volatility in dry bulk freight rates has hit record levels in recent weeks.Peter Norfolk at SSY Consultancy & Research discusses the trend
SEC hits out at agencies over RMBS
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday published a report detailing the results of its investigation on the three main credit rating agencies' practices in rating products that reference residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS).
Singapore announces commodities exchange
Trading technology company Financial Technologies Group is to launch a Singapore-based commodities exchange, it has announced.
Singapore announces commodities exchange
Trading technology company Financial Technologies Group is to launch a Singapore-based commodities exchange, it has announced.
Commodities reshuffle at Morgan Stanley as Shapiro retires
Investment bank Morgan Stanley has reshuffled its commodity department, with head of commodities John Shapiro retiring.
Indianapolis hedges against escalating fuel prices
A fuel hedge and savings programme has netted the US city of Indianapolis over $39,000 during the month of June, according to a press release from the Mayor’s office.
Quant Congress: Models not to blame for stat arb crisis
Quantitative investment models were not responsible for the ructions in the statistical arbitrage sector in August 2007 and would, in fact, have proved extremely profitable should funds have weathered the storm, delegates at Quant Congress USA heard…
Quant Congress: Bear Stearns breached structured credit limits, says former CRO
Defunct securities dealer Bear Stearns persistently breached its own internal limits governing how much structured credit paper the firm could hold on balance sheet in the months leading up to its collapse, the firm’s former head of risk management for…
World Bank tests water with Malawi drought risk trade
The World Bank will close a weather derivatives trade by October 1, a move intended to hedge the Malawian government against the financial risk of severe or catastrophic drought.
Triple Point acquires ROME
Risk management software provider Triple Point has acquired credit risk management provider ROME.
Jet fuel futures contract takes off at MCX
Mumbai, India-based Multi-Commodities Exchange (MCX) has begun trading jet fuel futures contracts to help Indian airlines and refineries hedge against rising crude oil prices.
Q&A: Regulator calls for greater insurance against liquidity risk
Arthur Angulo, senior vice-president of banking supervision at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and co-chair of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s Working Group on Liquidity, talks to Risk about recent initiatives to improve liquidity risk…
Financial turmoil reports issued by the CGFS
Daily news headlines
SEC streamlines rules for self-regulation
Daily news headlines
Barclays unveils Guaranteed Deposit Accounts in Offshore Bonds range
Barclays Capital has launched two products as the latest offering in its Structured Deposit Series for Offshore Bonds range. The five-year World Equity Deposit Account offers protected exposure to a basket of four equally-weighted indexes, comprising the…
More writedowns coming at UBS
UBS will report more writedowns in its second-quarter results, due on August 12, the Swiss bank warned today.
Basel committee outlines reforms for rating agencies
The Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS) – a group affiliated with the Bank for International Settlements that monitors developments in financial markets for the G10 countries – released on July 4 its findings on failures in structured finance…
Barclays Wealth enhances rates on investment range
Barclays Wealth is launching a range of capital protected investments with improved terms on growth and income products, which are designed to maximise returns in volatile markets. The Protected FTSE Plan offers 1.5 times the rise in the FTSE 100 index…
TriOptima prepares to face Isda-backed rival
The new credit derivatives tear-up service announced by Isda yesterday will use a more flexible method of simplifying credit portfolios - but established provider TriOptima in Stockholm disputes it will be any better than its own service.