News
Goldman pushes into burgeoning CDO securities lending market
Goldman Sachs has entered securities lending trades with a handful of collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) in the past few months, says Alex Reyfman, New York-based credit portfolio quantitative strategist at Goldman Sachs.
Senator calls for speedier Enron indictments
North Dakota’s Democrat Senator Byron Dorgan has written a letter to US Attorney General John Ashcroft inquiring why there has been no action in prosecuting former Enron executives.
Greenwich launches online FX service to retail customers
Greenwich Europe, the London-based derivatives house, has set up a 24-hour online FX broking service for retail clients around the world, Simon Palmer, the firm’s new head of FX, told RiskNews ' sister publication FX Week .
Japan Credit Market Update: Spreads recover from panic selling
Japanese credit default swaps continued to recover this week, correcting a from a recent sell-off prompted by weak stock markets and general risk aversion on the market.
FSA opens emergency UK back-up site
The Financial Services Authority (FSA), the UK’s chief financial services watchdog, said yesterday that it had opened a back-up centre to maintain operations in the event of an emergency such as a terrorist attack on its headquarters in London.
US credit protection narrows following Wall Street equity rally
The price of credit default swaps for major US names tightened this week following two days of equity purchasing on Wall Street.
ABN Amro hires global head of CDOs
Dutch bank ABN Amro has hired Fernando Guerrero, formerly managing director of structured products at TD Securities, to head its global collateralised debt obligation (CDO) business.
Singapore harmonises risk-based regulation of financial firms
SINGAPORE – Singapore financial regulators said today they would integrate risk-based regulation of banks, insurance companies and investment firms under a new department from September 1.
US single-stock futures venture lists more tradeable indexes
OneChicago, a joint venture of the three main Chicago derivatives exchanges formed in May 2001 to offer an electronic market for stock futures products in the US, has added seven 'narrow-based' equity indexes to an original eight it unveiled in March.
Singapore reconsiders hedge fund rules
Hot on the heels of Hong Kong’s decision to open up the hedge fund market to retail investors, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is now revising its own rules on retail hedge fund investments, bringing it in line with its main regional rival.
Singapore harmonises risk-based regulation of financial firms
Singapore financial regulators said today they would integrate risk-based regulation of banks, insurance companies and investment firms under a new department from September 1.
Standard Bank Asia signs up Spectrum
Standard Bank Asia is to use Pennsylvania-based foreign exchange and interest rate risk management software provider Financial Software Systems’ Spectrum Treasury System in its Hong Kong trading centre to manage money market instruments, interest rate…
UK allows for Basel II delays in risk-based rules for financial services
LONDON - UK regulators said in late July they would implement their plans for uniform, risk-based rules for UK-based banks, insurance companies and securities firms in several stages, instead of one or two, following delays to the Basel II bank accord.
Op risk floor removed to give flexibility
BASEL, SWITZERLAND - Global banking regulators have removed the operational risk capital floor previously proposed under the Basel II capital accord to give banks flexibility in developing op risk management systems.
SG expands fixed-income distribution team
SG, the corporate and investment banking arm of Société Générale, has hired Philip Brutsche to its German and eastern European fixed-income distribution team. Brutsche will be responsible for marketing flow fixed-income products, including interest rate…
Van Tonder takes over as Front’s South Africa head
Cliff van Tonder has assumed leadership of Front Capital Systems’ South Africa office. He will maintain relations with existing Front clients such as ABSA, Standard Bank, Nedcor and Investec, as well as targeting new clients likely to include prominent…
FCTM signs up for Summit risk management software
First Chicago Tokio Marine Financial Products, a joint venture between Bank One of the US and Japan's Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance, has signed up to use New York-based risk management systems provider Summit Systems’ front-to-back modular software…
Credit Markets Update: US airline woes push up protection costs on European carriers
The cost of credit protection on European airlines widened by 10 to 20 basis points this week following investor concerns about the state of the American airline industry.
Basel Committee reissues op risk paper to give broader scope
BASEL, SWITZERLAND - Global banking regulators reissued in July, as they had said they would, a consultative paper on sound practices for operational risk management to give it a broader scope for smaller, local banks.
UK accepts large banks could use basic op risk approach
LONDON - The UK’s chief financial market watchdog said in July it accepted that a large international bank could use the basic indicator approach, the simplest of the three approaches to calculating operational risk capital charges proposed under the…
Nash joins the Royal Bank of Scotland
Ralph Nash, previously with the secretariat of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in Basel, Switzerland, joined the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBOS) in July as London-based Basel II operational risk co-ordinator for the RBOS group.
Fitch gets OpVar loss database with NetRisk purchase
NEW YORK - Fitch Risk Management, part of rating agency Fitch, said in mid-July it was acquiring NetRisk and its subsidiary OpVantage, both Connecticut-based risk management companies.
Borealis signs up to Tempest XL risk management system
Borealis Group, the Danish chemical producer, is to use the Tempest XL trading and risk management system developed by technology and systems provider Triple Point Technology.
Skandia Liv likely to up hedge fund investments by year-end
Skandia Liv, the life assurance arm of Sweden’s Skandia with $27 billion in funds under management at the end of last year, is set to increase its investments in hedge funds by the end of the year, according to Malin Björkmo, Skandia Liv chief investment…