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.
Structured products online
Total unique visitors (30 days to July 10): 16,175
Market snapshot
Tim Mortimer of Future Value Consultants looks at the pricing issues for structured products in different markets and provides his trade of the month
Commercial property plays
Morgan Stanley surprised many people in July 2008 when it plumped for a commercial property-based product. With lower volatility than was on offer from the FTSE 100, it made for a relatively generous offer of returns that took 65% of the starting level…
Delighted with deposits
Newcastle Building Society has been gradually building up its structured deposit business, including the launch of a new intermediary services arm in 2008. With the FTSE 100 index climbing and deposits backed by the government, the society is right to be…
The sovereign guarantee
Even in an era of government-backed banks, it is clear that investors do not equate a public stake with investment security. Those looking for watertight investments have been left with two options - structured deposits or collateralised plans. Will…
Toughing it out
Equity derivatives
Regulatory backlash
Editor's letter
Irregularities mean that Keydata will not be sold as going concern, PwC
Keydata Investment Services Ltd (KIS) will not be sold as a going concern due to irregularities uncovered by insolvency administrator Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC).
Meteor launches Prima Growth Plan 16
Meteor, the UK distributor, has launched the sixteenth version of its Prima Growth Plan which has been issued by AAA-rated Rabobank. The kick-out style product has the potential to pay a 10% coupon after one year, paying the return on its first…
US Wrap: Strong issuance run stalled by Doughnut Friday
Issuance in the US structured products market ground to a halt on Friday - the second blank day in a fortnight. The number of deals has been increasing lately on the back of increased confidence, although providers have still been looking to external…
Keydata placed in administration by FSA - update
Keydata Investment Services Ltd has been placed into a speedy administration by the UK Financial Services Authority on the grounds that it is insolvent. All new business has been suspended and a temporary suspension of payments on policies has been…
Walker Crips launches first growth product
Walker Crips Structured Investments (WCSI) has launched its first growth product on the retail market. The Annual Growth Plan, a non-capital protected plan, provides exposure to the FTSE-100 index. The three-year kick-out plan offers a return of 10% a…
US Wrap: Out comes Barclays again, with plethora of reverse convertibles
Barclays Bank's set of product offerings bloomed as the issuance week in the US as the week drew to a close. The UK bank produced a sequence of reverse convertibles that concentrated mainly on energy stocks, although with many other sectors represented:…
US Wrap: RBC moots real estate rebound
Royal Bank of Canada has launched an accelerated growth note linking to the iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate Index. The bullish trade offers 300% participation in the index over only six months, up to a cap of 39%. It does not incorporate any downside…
A steadier ship
Cautious optimism pervaded the fourth annual Structured Products Americas conference, held in May at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables in Miami. Speakers and panellists seemed happy to reacquaint themselves with terms such as volatility, correlation and…
Editor's letter
While you ponder yet another acronym for structured products - they are now Prips, or packaged retail investment products, according to the European Union - reflect upon the fact that there has been some kind of progress in the calamitous world of…
US Wrap: S&P 500 still dominates growth products
The S&P 500 continues to dominate growth products, despite the illusion of index diversity. Morgan Stanley launched a three-year leveraged participation note ahead of the weekend which linked to three indexes: the S&P 500, the Nasdaq 100 and the MSCI…
Powell departs Arc Capital
Chris Powell has departed Arc Capital and Income (ACI), the UK structured products distributor, where he was managing director. Powell has left the company with immediate effect to pursue other avenues in financial services, says ACI. His replacement has…
A capital lifeline?
Guaranteeing investors' capital with your own bonds has always been a convenient way for banks to borrow money from investors at the same time as offering them a cut in the upside of the chosen underlying in a structured note. Such fundraising is often…
Baird steps forward
US distributor RW Baird founded its structured products business in 2007 from a standing start, building the infrastructure, compliance and educational initiatives from scratch. Sophia Morrell talks to Dayna Kleinman, the company's vice-president of…
Market snapshot
Tim Mortimer of Future Value Consultants looks at the pricing issues for structured products in different markets and provides his trade of the month
Habsburgo at the helm
Family office Habsburgo and Asociados in Mexico builds large, tailor-made portfolios comprised of structured products for its clients. The approach has paid off over the past year as the products have performed better than traditional assets, but while…