News
Market-making hedge fund ups size and mulls credit debut
London-based hedge fund Algometrics is aiming to raise a further $100 million by October 2002 for its existing equity fund and is eyeing a move into credit derivatives.
CFTC uncovers more forex fraud
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last week charged two New York-based foreign currency firms and two of their senior employees with fraudulently soliciting more than $15 million for illegal off-exchange forex futures contracts.
Fitch working on new municipal CDOs in the US
Fitch Ratings is reviewing several pools composed mostly of already issued municipal securities as potential collateral for a new asset class – municipal collateralised debt obligations (CDOs). Marion Silverman, a senior director based in Fitch Ratings’…
Hyundai Securities contemplates derivatives desk
South Korea’s Hyundai Securities is currently reviewing plans to enter the over-the-counter derivatives business in South Korea following regulatory changes earlier this month that opened up the OTC market to the country's securities firms, according to…
BoA continues hiring bonanza
Bank of America (BoA) has hired 14 new staff for its global forex business in London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, snaring a host of top names over a two- to three-month period.
Moody's report confirms European CDO growth
Ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service said the European collateralised debt obligation (CDO) market grew by 46% in the first half of 2002, compared with the corresponding period of last year. Moody’s rated 72 CDO transactions in the first half of the…
Kottke to set up agricultural arbitrage hedge fund
Chicago-based managed futures fund Kottke Associates is to launch its first hedge fund based on an agricultural arbitrage strategy in September. The firm, which established its managed futures business in 1994, is seeking to expand its client base by…
Reech Capital launches derivatives valuation product
Reech Capital, the London-based supplier of risk management services, has launched FastVal, an independent derivatives valuation service.
Credit Markets Update: European market remains fragile and volatile
The recent volatility trend in the European credit derivatives market continued unabated this week, remaining in line with equity market sentiments as the bearish market showed no signs of subsiding. Markets were quiet and generally lacked liquidity,…
Weill defends Citigroup's actions over Enron
Citigroup’s chief executive Sandy Weill yesterday defended his company's actions amid increased US government scrutiny into its relationship with bankrupt energy trader Enron.
Barclays grabs Lehman's forex trading head
Barclays has hired John Caccavale, head of forex trading at Lehman Brothers in New York, to head trading for the Americas. He will report to Thomas Kalaris, Barclays’ chief executive of the Americas, based in New York. According to a recruiter, Caccavale…
More US companies to expense stock options
Two more US companies are set to follow Coca-Cola’s example of expensing their stock option plans. The Atlanta-based drinks company last week said it plans to expense the cost of all stock options the company grants beginning in the fourth quarter.
Equity slump sees upsurge in long-dated hedging
The European interest rate swaps market has seen a return of the long-dated hedging programmes that first surfaced at the end of last year, according to traders at investment banks.
Deutsche in major shake-up of credit responsibilities
Deutsche Bank has shaken up its credit derivatives business, making Boaz Weinstein its global head of investment grade credit risk. Weinstein took up the newly created role in June, continuing with his responsibilities as Deutsche Bank’s head of credit…
Rothschild Australia to offer fund of hedge funds
Rothschild Australia Asset Management will launch a fund of local hedge funds in the second half of the year, according to Andrew Baker, head of products at the asset management firm.
Goldman Sachs claims proprietary leap in MBS options pricing
Goldman Sachs claims it has developed a revolutionary new model for pricing mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Alan Brazil, head of mortgage, ABS and rates research at Goldman Sachs in New York, said the new valuation model enables the increasing…
Isda requires CDS reference obligation specification at trade date
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has decided that confirmations should specify reference obligations as of the trade date for credit default swap (CDS) transactions.
Deutsche hires senior FX strategist from JP Morgan Chase
Deutsche Bank has hired Bilal Hafeez from JP Morgan Chase as a senior foreign exchange strategist.
German Finance Agency initiates swaps programme
The German Finance Agency has begun its interest rate swaps programme to manage the risk on its debt portfolio. The Agency first gave an indication it would enter the swaps business in January, and now plans to transact up to €20 billion in swaps…
CreditTrade prepares credit volatility pricing tool
Credit derivatives inter-broker dealer and data provider CreditTrade is developing an algorithm to price options on credit default swaps for 20-25 European corporate credits.
JP Morgan and Citigroup pass Enron blame to Andersen
Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase yesterday sought to shift blame on to auditor Andersen for its role in approving 'prepay' transactions, which masked Enron’s financial malaise.
Credit Markets Update: Insurer protection remains under pressure
The cost of protection on insurance companies remained under pressure in the credit derivatives market this week, with spreads widening across the sector as the fall in equity values caused investor concern about insurers being forced to sell equities to…
Algorithmics hires van den Akker to push Algo Credit sales
Algorithmics, the Toronto-headquartered provider of risk management software, has appointed Mark van den Akker as a sales specialist to head its Algo Credit risk sales in North America.
Further surge in investment grade synthetic CDO issuance expected, says BofA
A further surge in static and managed corporate synthetic collateralised debt obligation (CDO) issuance is expected this year, according to new research by Bank of America.