Indexes
S&P to launch commodity sub-indexes amid US regulation fears
Ratings agency and financial research firm Standard & Poor’s (S&P) is to roll out two commodity-related sub-indexes that focus only on European and Asian contracts in response to fears the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will make further…
Retrospective: A simple plan
Barclays Bank issued a straightforward minimum return product just before the financial crisis, linked to the performance of the FTSE 100 index. Ensuing volatility and widening CDS spreads show why such products are rare in today’s markets
Strategic thinking
Banks and index providers have been quick to colonise the investment space vacated by stressed hedge funds after transparency became a byword for popularity. With both now offering proprietary dynamic strategies and promising alpha returns, will they end…