Initial margin
Futures aim to put a dent in FX swaps supremacy
Advent of margin rules sharpens appeal of exchange-traded instruments for buy-siders
CME targets year-end rollout of new margin model
Clearing house testing new Span 2 framework with members, more work needed with vendors
Initial margin – Special report 2021
With many phase five firms in limbo, this special report assesses the issues and key challenges involved, and reveals the changing strategies of firms in meeting their IM responsibilities
Sharpening the tools – Preparation for UMR phase five
A forum of industry leaders discusses the suitability of Simm for phase five firms, how they can optimise portfolios to minimise margin costs and how the lessons learned from previous phases can help them prepare
Time to act – Smart transitions to UMR compliance
Firms face many challenges as deadlines loom for phases five and six of the uncleared margin rules (UMR), including getting their average aggregate notional amount calculations right to determine which phase they are in. With only three months to prepare…
NSCC hit by $1.06bn margin breach
In total, the DTCC division reported 96 margin breaches at end-March 2021
CFTC rule change sparks dealer-client margin scuffle
FCMs fear “race to the bottom” as funds lobby dealers for lower margin status
No clearing sweeteners for European SSAs, argue dealers
As public entities eye CCP membership, dealers warn of heightened risk exposure from support waivers
CME rebuts accusations of procyclical margining
Merc issues white paper touting strong portfolio-level coverage during pandemic, rebuffs calls for higher MPOR
Delays to IM model approvals causing ‘anxiety’ for MetLife
Isda AGM: US insurer says regulators unprepared to accept docs where model approval is obligatory
Goldman’s swaps clearing unit boosts client margin by $1.2bn
The top eight FCMs accounted for 95.8% of total client required margin, down 96.4% YoY
Credit Suisse held just 10% margin against Archegos book
Swiss bank gave family office 10 times leverage, compared with four or five times at Goldman
Simm template to be expanded for SA-CCR and FRTB
Crif-plus will capture risk exposures for all instruments, boosting optimisation potential
JSCC incurred 311 IM breaches in 2020
IRS service experienced the largest breach last year
LCH SA skin in the game fell in Q4
In contrast, pre-funded clearing member contributions to the default funds increased 10% to €6.1 billion
Would margin rules have checked Archegos? Perhaps not
Regulator-prescribed margin methodology permits six-times leverage on equity swaps
One FICC member paid record $102bn to cover dues in Q4
Previous highest payment obligation of a single participant was $77 billion in size
Initial margin at Ice CCPs surged over 2020
Required IM at Ice Clear US increased 42% year on year
UK funds fall out of love with sterling swaps
Lower yields, Libor transition and margin rules help make gilt repo the desired hedging tool for LDI funds
IM at LCH Ltd fell to post-Covid low in Q4
Required IM for SwapClear dropped to £149.5 billion, down 3% quarter on quarter
Initial margin at the OCC topped $100bn in Q4
Exchange-traded derivatives hub cleared 7.5 billion contracts in 2020
Margin breaches quadrupled at Eurex in 2020
Equity derivatives service witnessed 1,782 breaches last year alone
At CME, required IM increased over one-third in 2020
IM for futures and options hit $152.3 billion at end-December
Hero or villain? NSCC draws fire for Robinhood margin waiver
Fears of moral hazard after CCP waives billions in margin demands following meme-stock volatility