Trading
Rumours hit jumpy FX markets
LONDON -- FX markets starved of certainty saw some price movement last week, mostly on the back of unconfirmed rumours regarding the war in Iraq.
Sterling caught in the middle
The relationship between sterling/dollar and euro/dollar has broken down since the start of the year, resulting in sterling’s recent under-performance, says Lena Komileva (right), EMEA economist at Prebon Marshall Yamane in London.
Tullett launches global Swapmarker
LONDON -- Tullett Financial Information, a subsidiary of brokerage firm Tullett, last week released a global version of Swapmarker, its capital markets data product.
Real-life problems, innovative solutions
Options for euro-sceptics
After feast comes famine for the dollar
The US dollar may have been feasting on inflowing money in recent years but, says Pete Luxton, global economic adviser at MMS International in London, it is now going hungry
RBS FiXes benchmarks with EBS
LONDON -- The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has gone live with a new benchmark engine for spot and forwards FX rates, called RBSFiX.
Asian forex still untapped
SINAGPORE -- Five years on from the Asian financial crisis, FX trading opportunities in the region remain largely untapped, market participants told FX Week .
Rand reverses 2001 downtrend
JOHANNESBURG -- Interest rate yields, gold prices and a budget announcement powered the South African rand to a 20-month high against the dollar last week.
CME launches CME$Index futures contract
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) launches its new ‘CME$Index’ futures contract, an index of seven foreign currencies against the US dollar, today (March 3). The contract is intended to provide end-users with a broad tool to gain or reduce…
Bloc boosting
Rising commodity prices and high yields have boosted the ‘dollar bloc’ currencies, and the trend is set to continue, says David Mozina, head of G10 FX strategy at Banc of America Securities in New York
Trichet still best bet for ECB job
Jean-Claude Trichet’s trial is not an insurmountable obstacle to his accession to ECB presidency. But while the outcome is uncertain, French officials must come up with a back-up candidate, says Stephen Sandelius, Paris correspondent for Market News…
Traders reap rewards in LatAm markets
MEXICO CITY -- As clients and banks scour the globe for volatile FX markets, Latin America has become a key battleground for new FX business, senior market participants told FX Week .
Market static as uncertainty rules
LONDON -- There was little action in G3 FX last week, as the geopolitical stand-off over Iraq extended to the markets.
RBA unwinds Australian dollar holding
SYDNEY -- The Reserve Bank of Australia took profits on its Australian dollar holdings earlier this year, selling nearly A$500 million, according to the bank’s February bulletin.
China forex volumes rise
BEIJING -- Forex turnover in the Chinese market rocketed by 73% in January, according to data made public last week.
Dollar downtrend halts decline in US hedging
NEW YORK -- The US dollar’s decline in recent months has sparked an increase in hedging activity among US companies, six months after senior FX officials reported that many firms were unhedged.
Rusnak lessons still unheeded
NEW YORK -- Global banks are yet to implement key recommendations to limit rogue trading losses, one year on from John Rusnak’s record $700 million forex fraud.
A focus on partnerships
Vision, transparency and communication are key to FX outsourcing partnerships, says Kiril Alexiev, assistant vice-president in Global FX Strategic Alliances at ABN Amro in Chicago
Digital strike combats Korean hedging worries
A local importer in South Korea with upcoming dollar payables would be wise to consider a digital strike forward as tensions increase in North Korea, says Charlie Brown, head of structuring and solutions for global FX options at Standard Chartered Bank…
GFI closes FX options mark-to-market gap
NEW YORK -- Solving the problem of marking FX options to market came a step closer to being resolved last week, with the launch of a new ‘revaluation fixing’ service from New York-based interdealer broker GFI.
Private client demand soars for FX firm
LONDON -- More private clients in the UK buying property in Europe has boosted demand for a new specialist FX firm, a senior official at Seagray Matthews Foreign Exchange (SGM-FX) told FX Week .
Give every DOG its day
The threat of war in Iraq, and the political and financial fallout, has brought dollar weakness. But this narrow focus ignores a more telling relationship across the asset classes -- that of dollar, oil and gold, says Gerald Ashley
Shift in risk sentiment shores up Australian options market
SYDNEY -- A change in risk sentiment, coupled with major underlying spot moves in local currencies, is bringing extra FX options business to Australia, according to local dealers.
Intervention risk looms
LONDON -- As the US prepares to invade Iraq, FX dealers could soon be facing their own battle against central banks.