News
DrKW adds to credit derivatives team in Japan
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has hired Michael Gordon as director of credit derivatives trading in Tokyo. He was previously a credit derivatives trader at Enron Credit in Japan.
Merrill Lynch continues FX drive with key hires
Merrill Lynch has made three key FX hires in New York and Tokyo, combating rumours that a recent exodus of dealers had left the bank’s foreign exchange business understaffed.
TFS-Icap completes Volbroker integration
Interbank broker TFS-Icap has completed the integration of online options broking platform Volbroker, following its December 1 acquisition of a stake in the bank-owned consortium.
Euronext in further European expansion
Euronext, the combined Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels exchange, has taken a further step towards creating a pan-European derivatives trading platform, by entering a cross-selling agreement with the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE).
Moody’s acquires KMV for $210 million
Credit ratings agency Moody’s has purchased California-based credit risk management technology firm KMV for $210 million in an all-cash deal.
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.
Heineken seeks rainy day hedge
Heineken, the Dutch brewing company, is seeking to hedge its business exposure to rainy Saturdays, according to a weather market source. Such a development is seen by some participants as a key test for the future growth of the weather risk market.
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.
Bank of China, CCB roll out Misys’ Opics suite
Bank of China and China Construction Bank (CCB) are rolling out London-based Misys International Banking Systems' Opics treasury and capital markets software suite. The service will provide both institutions with a straight-through processing (STP)…
US regulated market sees strong growth
The International Securities Exchange (ISE) became the latest US derivatives exchange to post record average daily trading volumes in January.
RWE counts €11 million Enron cost but inherits staff
RWE, Germany’s second largest utility, believes it has the largest energy trading exposure in continental Europe to Enron Europe, the London-based subsidiary of the bankrupt energy trading firm. RWE Trading, the marketing and trading arm of the Essen…
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…
Credit Lyonnais Asian equity derivatives head resigns
Eddie Tam, Credit Lyonnais’ prominent head of Asian equity derivatives sales in Hong Kong, has abruptly resigned from the bank.
Fimat signs up for Egar's energy trading system
Fimat, the US-based brokerage firm, has signed up to Egar Technology’s Focus system for trading energy and commodity derivatives. Egar is a New York-based technology firm that offers trading systems for over-the-counter and exchange-traded interest rate…
JP Morgan Chase launches short-term FX predictor
JP Morgan Chase today launched an Economic Activity Surprise Index (Easi) that it claims will help users predict short-term currency moves.
JPMC snares four equity specialists from Merrill Lynch
JP Morgan Chase has snared four equity derivatives experts from Wall Street rival Merrill Lynch. The foursome includes Merrill co-heads of risk trading, Matt Celebuski and Eric Moore.
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…
WestLB derivatives head quits for the arts
WestLB has hired Ian Clifton as its new head of derivatives within its global financial markets (GFM) division, after the previous head, Dominic Palfreyman, quit to pursue a career in the performance arts.
Reliant restates 2001 earnings due to accounting changes
In a further sign of Enron’s impact on US accounting procedures, energy company Reliant Resources said it has discovered errors in its financial accounting that will cause it to raise 2001 earnings by between $100 million and $130 million.
Ritossa takes over as Barclays Capital forex head
Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of the UK's Barclays, has hired Ivan Ritossa as global head of foreign exchange. He joins from Lehman Brothers, where he gained a strong reputation for building up the Wall Street firm's forex operations…
Citibank and SSB integrate Asian derivatives sale
US financial conglomerate Citigroup will combine its Citibank and Salomon Smith Barney (SSB) Asia-Pacific regional sales unit for fixed-income derivatives and cash products.
Cargill signs up to patsystems
Chicago-based Cargill Investor Services (CIS) has signed up to a derivatives trading service supplied by patsystems, the London-based software vendor specialising in electronic exchange connectivity and front-end trading.
FT Interactive Data expands forex coverage
FT Interactive Data, a provider of securities prices, has expanded its coverage of spot and forward foreign exchange markets and reduced update times from every hour to every half hour.
Credit Lyonnais looks to boost Asian derivatives team
French bank Credit Lyonnais is planning to boost its Asian credit and interest rate derivatives teams in the coming months, as part of a drive to build the bank’s structured credit business, according to Frédéric Lainé, Hong Kong-based head of fixed…