Structured products
WHAT IS THIS? Structured products are investments that have multiple components. For retail investors, the most common form is a bond plus an option – these tend to be standardised, sold in small tickets and large volumes. Managing the risks of large structured products portfolios is one of the biggest challenges dealers face.
Source offers European ETF investors access to volatility
Source has brought exposure to volatility to the European market through an ETF based on the S&P 500 Vix Futures Index
Vanguard expands ETF offering with products on equities, fixed income and property
US ETF company Vanguard has increased its business with products on US equity benchmarks, real estate and bonds
Deutsche lists 10 exchange-traded commodities on the LSE
Deutsche Bank has listed 10 new exchange-traded commodities on the London Stock Exchange to complement the 19 it issued earlier this year in Frankfurt
Erste lists first turbos on Romanian exchange
Erste Group Bank AG issued nine individual certificates on to the Bucharest Stock Exchange as it joins the Romanian market.
UK Wrap: Vanilla repeats rule the roost
Among the few products launched in the UK during the past two weeks, the popularity of the FTSE 100 is continuing as investors remain nervous
UBS offers access to MLPs through fast-growing ETN market
UBS has launched a new exchange-traded note in the US, offering leveraged exposure to the Alerian MLP Infrastructure Index.
Incapital acquires Blue Sky Asset Management
US investment bank and structured products specialist Incapital will takeover UK distributor Blue Sky Asset Management. Blue Sky's book of plans will be subsumed into Incapital Europe
Swiss structured products and ETF volumes see sharp decline in June
Trading and turnover volumes in the Swiss structured products and ETF markets fall in June after seeing gains during the start of the year
S&P launches quality ranking indexes and licenses to PowerShares
Standard and Poor's has extended its index range to include quality rankings indexes, one of which has been licensed to Invesco PowerShares, and has added sector indexes in its CDS Index family
FTSE strengthens global business with executive hires
FTSE Group has added to its London office with the recruitment of five senior executives
South Korea implements product pre-approval regulation
South Korea launched its new derivatives product approval system in June but issues remain
McLaughlin joins law firm Fried Frank in New York
US law firm Fried Frank has hired Robert McLaughlin, co-founder of the structured products practice at Katten Muchin Rosenman
Volatility helps German structurers offer attractive returns
The problems in the eurozone are unleashing volatility across the continent's indexes, thereby making it easier for bankers in Germany to offer good coupons on autocallables