Interest rates
Libor trap lurks in 2021 US stress tests
Using SOFR, borrowing could boom and revenues collapse
Two-factor Black-Karasinski pricing kernel
Analytic formulas for bond prices and forward rates are derived by expanding existing rate models
SOFR phase-in for cash products sparks ‘mismatch’ fears
Official proposal for one-year transition period could lead to basis risk, participants say
Covid-19 chaos drains Axa’s Solvency II ratio
French insurer’s regulatory capital ratio is at its lowest since the Solvency II regime took effect
Safe havens no longer safe, quants fear
Equity-debt correlation breakdown and negative bond yields make investors nervous
Short-dated sterling swap volumes surge
On April 22, traded volumes were four times the two-year average
Lawyers pick holes in Libor statutory fix
US ‘tough legacy’ contracts open to legal challenge even if proposed New York law is passed
Money funds turn to Fed facility amid record inflows
MMFs are accepting 0% returns and waiving management fees to avoid ‘breaking the buck’
Libor webinars: loans, bonds and derivatives
Listen here to three Risk.net webinars, covering topics from transition timelines to market turmoil
Libor webinar playback: spotlight on derivatives
Panellists from Deutsche Bank, LCH, Numerix and Tradeweb on transition timelines, volatility and discounting
FX vol revived by Covid-19 – but for how long?
Traders split on whether virus impact, or central bank responses, will prove most powerful
Corporates sprint to lock in low rates
Dealers are seeing increased demand for interest rate hedges despite higher execution costs
Libor-SOFR blowout raises questions for fallback rate
Implied three-month SOFR v Libor basis gapped to 108bp on March 19
Munich Re’s capital requirement jumped 19% in 2019
Interest rate declines added €2.2bn to SCR
Pandemic threatens Libor transition plans
Resources diverted to Covid-19 response, as RFR-Libor basis spikes on stress
Bonds and swaps struggled in virus volatility
Low liquidity and wider spreads amplified by remote working, traders claim
BoE’s new Sonia index gets a thumbs-up from issuers
Calculating coupons based on compounded Sonia was “a real nightmare” for some
Rates trading revenues up 154% at top US banks
Net gains on interest rates-related exposures top $21 billion
Sliding rates crimp Allianz’s Solvency II ratio
Solvency II ratio down 17 percentage points year-on-year
€5trn of Eonia swaps mature after benchmark’s death
Almost 20% of derivatives notionals linked to retiring rate will expire post-2022
SOFR discounting – Analysing the market impact
The switch to secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) discounting brings several complex issues and is impacting market practices. Ping Sun, senior vice‑president of financial engineering at Numerix, discusses the key issues, such as the differences…
EU compounding confusion creates headaches for banks
With the fallback possibly illegal in some EU states, loan system updates may become more complicated
EU life insurers’ solvency ratios decay in first half
Aggregate SCR ratio for life undertakings down 9%, Q2 2018–Q2 2019
Euribor fallbacks could hit thin legal ice
In Italy and Germany, compound interest – the foundation of Euribor fallbacks – is actually illegal