Structured products
Deutsche goes extra mile to underwrite Pimco CDO
Deutsche Bank has agreed to allow Pacific Investment Management Company (Pimco) full and unfettered access to its proprietary portfolio of corporate loans to secure the underwriting mandate for Pimco’s forthcoming Euro-denominated CDO.
Germany’s hedge fund stance raises concerns
Germany's fourth Financial Market Promotion Act, which was drafted in January and is set to become law in June or July, contains a clause banning short selling during periods of extreme market volatility. This clause is worrying German hedge fund…
CDOs of asset-backed securities prove their worth, says Moody's
Collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) of asset-backed securities (ABS) and other repackaged securities,have suffered minimal credit deterioration in response to the general macroeconomic decline, according to credit rating agency Moody's.
JP Morgan Chase in court over Argentine credit derivatives
Eternity Global Fund, a Nevis, West Indies-based hedge fund, is suing JP Morgan Chase alleging breach of contract and fraud on credit default swaps written on Argentine sovereign debt.
Fitch first to assign CDO asset manager ratings
Fitch will become the first rating agency to assign credit ratings to CDO (collateralised debt obligations) asset managers. The New York-based agency is taking a new, flexible approach to its methodology for its forthcoming rating process, aimed at…
EFTs, e-minis defy low equity derivatives flows
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and e-mini contracts defied January's trend of unusually low derivatives volumes and volatility, according to Joanne Hill, managing director and head of trading research at Goldman Sachs.
Hedge fund moves into market-making
Algometrics, a London-based hedge fund, is looking to raise around $500 million to become a liquidity provider in cash and derivatives equity markets.
Basel II final paper delayed until 2003
Global banking regulators now expect to issue their final version of the complex and controversial Basel II bank capital adequacy accord “some time next year” rather than by the end of this year as previously hoped.
Zipspeed launches daily mark-to-market weather index
Atlanta-based weather risk management company, Zipspeed, is set to launch a new weather index that it hopes will draw financial companies into the US weather risk market on a greater scale.
Survey delay puts Basel II timetable under further strain
Delays in issuing a crucial survey could again imperil the timetable of the Basel II bank capital adequacy Accord and further endanger the European Commission’s schedule for risk-based bank regulation.
Currency swap illiquidity may hit Korean cross-border ABS growth
The Korean cross-border asset-backed securitisation (ABS) market could see growth stymied this year due to a lack of liquidity in the currency swaps market. While both Hyundai Capital and Samsung Capital are expected to issue separate $300 million cross…
Freddie Mac set to issue more callable debt
Freddie Mac, the US government debt agency, is looking to issue another large callable bond in the next few months, following its record $2 billion, three-year callable issue with a one-year embedded option last month. The agency is seen as meeting…
Bank of America appoints new rates head
Bank of America has promoted John Kapustiak to global head of interest rate derivatives trading. Chicago-based Kapustiak was previously head of US interest rate options and proprietary trading.
Hong Kong warrants see steady first week
The Hong Kong warrants market's first week of trading was steady, accounting for 4% of the week’s total turnover on the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx).
UK regulators ponder op risk charge for insurers
LONDON -- British regulators are deciding whether to impose a specific capital charge on insurance companies for operational risk under new risk-based rules aimed at making the UK insurance industry safer.
Loss survey supports arguments against capital charges, say fund managers
London - The results of a survey by global banking regulators of banks’ operational loss experience support arguments against using capital charges as the main protection against operational losses in fund management and broker activities. This is the…
IT and staff quality seen as key as India adopts Basel II
CALCUTTA, INDIA - The need to improve staff quality and use information technology (IT) effectively are among key targets for the Indian banking system as it prepares to meet intern ational standards of risk-based regulation, India’s central bank chief…
Risk financing might solve doubts over op risk insurance
LONDON - Combining risk transfer with risk financing might be one way of resolving regulator doubts about the use of insurance to mitigate operational risk under the proposed Basel II accord.
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