Infrastructure
Election uncertainty hits Phillippine peso trading
MANILA – Market participants in the Philippines are anticipating a return to volatility in the next few weeks, as uncertainty over the recent elections clears up.
Improver knock-in forward for dollar bears
With the widely held belief that dollar/yen has scope to fall much further, Royal Bank of Canada's financial engineering team in London proposes a solution for a client wanting to buy US dollar forwards at more attractive rates. An 'improver knock-in…
Snow hails CME's China deal
CHICAGO – The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has forged a ground- breaking deal with a central bank-sponsored FX trading platform in China, in a move hailed by US government officials as a crucial step towards renminbi flexibility.
Reuters sees sales turnaround
LONDON – Reuters chief executive Tom Glocer last week announced the first positive month for sales since May 2001. Speaking at an investor's conference in London, Glocer said sales of the vendor's data and technology products in May 2004 exceeded…
ACI Congress debates future
LONDON – The European forex community gathered in London last week for the ACI European Congress hosted by ACI UK. Among the contentious issues discussed during the three-day event were operational risk, the future of the European Union and trading in…
CME and Reuters pool liquidity
LONDON – Trading systems vendor Reuters and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange are bringing together their pools of buy-side and sell-side liquidity in what may be the first move towards an exchange model for the FX market.
The one-year physically settled average rate forward
Capping and flooring a daily cable fixing rate offers a UK corporate with US dollar receivables an attractive risk/reward profile for zero premium, says Selene Chong, of HSBC’s FX structuring team in London
ACI European Congress: exhibition preview
Delegates at the seventh ACI European Congress this week will have plenty to keep them busy, as vendors and banks line up a vast array of product demonstrations and promotions.
Congress rise slows Indian rupee ascent
MUMBAI – The success of the Congress Party in the recent Indian elections sent tremors through the FX market last week, and may have a longer-term negative impact on the world’s largest emerging currency market.
CLS is 'changing the front-office'
LONDON – The continuous-linked settlement (CLS) service for FX trades has changed credit and trading practices among the majority of its users, reveals research from IT consultancy TowerGroup to be published this week.
Vendors gather for DWT
LONDON – FX and trading technology vendors are gathering in London this week for the tenth annual Dealing with Technology exhibition.
AIB rapped for overcharging
DUBLIN – Allied Irish Banks (AIB) sailed into another forex controversy last week, as it emerged the bank has been overcharging for forex deals for the past eight years.
BIS reports FX options surge
BASEL – FX options business increased by a massive 77% year-on-year in the second half of last year, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS) statistics released last week.
Banks compete for e-FX talent
LONDON – Dealers combining technological and sales expertise are in short supply as banks compete to secure staff that can aid their success in the growing online FX market.
NAB options desk "open again"
MELBOURNE – National Australia Bank (NAB) has resumed limited trading in currency options, as an April 30 deadline to amend its shortcomings passed last week.
ACI expects 1,200 delegates in London
LONDON – Forex industry body ACI is expecting 1,200 attendees for the European congress in London later this month, said Robin Poynder, chairman of the congress organising committee.
Banks draw EU25 battle plans
LONDON – Euro convergence may yet be years away for the 10 new member states joining the European Union (EU) this weekend, but far-sighted banks and brokers are already drawing up their FX battle plans for the new Europe.
Central counterparty clearing on the way
LONDON – LCH.Clearnet is planning to launch the first central counterparty clearing service for foreign exchange, in a move that could challenge the role of continuous-linked settlement (CLS).
Russia shifts focus from dollar to euro
MOSCOW -- The move by Russia’s Central Bank (CBR) to manage the rouble against both the euro and dollar is a step towards the free floating of the currency, but will lead to increased volatility against the US dollar, analysts said last week.
Greenwich reports e-FX divide
NEW YORK -- A sharp divide exists between active e-FX clients and those that do not trade FX online, according to new research out this week.
Polish brokers struggle with new regulations
WARSAW -- Foreign exchange brokers in Poland are set to be in breach of forex law as a result of changes required before Poland accedes to the European Union next month. From May 1, all firms offering any foreign exchange trading services, across spot,…
ACI issues reminder on funds
PARIS -- Industry body ACI last week issued a reminder of its recommendations on overpaid funds.
SunGard buys out Derivatech
STOCKHOLM -- Front Capital Systems, the Swedish subsidiary of SunGard, has bought FX options software vendor Derivatech, the firm will announce today (April 5). The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, was completed in the last two weeks to build the Front…
HSBC reaps rewards in US
NEW YORK -- HSBC has seen a threefold increase in FX client volume in North America over the past year, following its recruitment drive in the region. And gains made in the first quarter of 2004 suggest it is continuing to build that volume "at a very…