North America
UBS’s FCM allocates record-low own funds relative to client margin
Residual interest equivalent to just 1.9% of customer contributions for futures and options in November
Banks divided over CME’s done-away model for UST clearing
Buy side could give thumbs-up if questions on margin protection and guarantee fees are answered
US regionals predict prolonged AOCI burndown
Six banks adjust capital projections amid rising unrealised losses in Q4
US block size changes reveal trillions in swaps trading
Fears of information leakage force some large buy-side users to adjust execution strategy
US MMFs clear record one-third of repos via FICC
Trades executed through sponsored access hit a $865 billion high at end-2024
Trump’s tariff threats fuel corporate FX hedging revamp
Treasurers mull options and longer-dated hedges in face of mixed signals on extent and timing of measures
Capital One’s CRE charge-offs creep back up
Office property segment pummelled hardest, as charge-off rates increase twelvefold in Q4
Morgan Stanley overtakes BofA as third-largest FCM by margin in 2024
Marex and Deutsche see sharpest upticks in required client margin for F&O, while Wedbush and Mizuho fall furthest
FCMs welcome CFTC margin rule ring-fencing clarification
Final rule on separate accounts replicates no-action relief as Republicans strip out gold plate
‘Street Fighter’ Sef RTX grows in interdealer swaps market
Focus on functionality and fees helped volumes on start-up venue from Cawley and Jonns jump fivefold last year
Clearing members favour domestic sovereign bonds for IM in Q3
Secured cash at commercial banks and central bank deposits also on the rise as part of collateral diversification
CPMI-Iosco report highlights gaps in CCPs’ variation margin practices
Survey finds only a third implement VM pass-through, just 15% net client and house accounts
Regions Bank swells HTM book to curb AOCI volatility
In strategic shift, bank aims to bolster HTM holdings to 25% of securities portfolio
Treasury clearing timeline ‘too aggressive’ says BofA rates head
Sifma gears up for extension talks with incoming SEC and Treasury officials
Rostin Behnam’s unfinished business
Next CFTC chair must finish the work Behnam started on crypto regulation and conflicts of interest
SG looks beyond equity derivatives in new markets push
French bank aims to expand fixed income business to achieve “more stable” revenues across asset mix
US MMFs tilted from repo to cash USTs in November
Outright allocations captured growing share of funds’ record cash pile
Does no-hedge strategy stack up for mag seven mavericks?
At Amazon, Meta and Tesla, the lack of FX hedging might raise eyebrows, but isn’t necessarily a losing technique
Member contributions propel six default funds to new highs
Skin in the game unchanged at four CCPs amid $3bn rise in default resources
BMO sets aside record C$1.5bn for loan losses
Net write-offs reach highest level in over two decades, exceeding early pandemic levels
Estimated stressed losses rise at OCC, LCH and JSCC
New stress scenario boosts worst-case loss at Options Clearing Corporation by half