Investment
Cutting the cost of dollar calls
With the USD having hit its lowest levels since the first half of January, Steven Englander, chief FX strategist for the Americas at Barclays Capital, suggests a cost-effective way to position for a dollar rebound
Making the most of fresh yen strength
A fresh bout of yen strength may be imminent. Simon Derrick, head of Bank of New York’s currency strategy team, describes a simple, low-cost strategy for currency overlay managers looking to take advantage of the latest moves
Regional FX investments take off
LONDON -- Sales of investments linked to baskets of regional currencies have taken off as investors search for yields from broad macro themes in Asia and central Europe.
AUD/USD hedge for an uncertain outlook
With an uncertain short-term prognosis for the AUD/USD, Sara Sullivan, senior manager, financial engineering at ANZ Bank in London, explains a structure that offers downside protection against a stronger Aussie while allowing unlimited upside potential…
More options for hedge funds
Options give hedge fund managers a tool to manage spot currency trades outside of leaving simple orders in the market. Jeff Cooper (right), vice-president responsible for sales and structuring of FX options at Bank of Montreal in Toronto, explores this…
Asian ERM debate returns to the fore
HONG KONG -- Calls for an Asian currency regime mirroring the European exchange rate mechanism (ERM) are coming to the fore, as the region’s authorities face mounting pressure to alter their exchange rate policies.
Currency funds taking off
LONDON & COPENHAGEN – Currency funds are coming to the fore, as more players in the FX market launch vehicles to meet investor demand.
The unitised managed assets solution
Packaging FX into a fund that retail investors can get easy access to is not straightforward, say Jan Vandendriessche, director, managed assets development, and Stephan Martinussen, senior manager, sales trading at Saxo Bank. They advocate setting up a…
New Turkish lira causes surge of activity
ISTANBUL – The new Turkish lira (TRY) is seeing strong demand across Europe only a month after its rebasing, said industry insiders.
Private bankers boost structured products sales
LONDON – Private bankers are buyoing the expanding market for structured products linked to currency movements, in a bid to provide more attractive yields to their clients.
Kissing with confidence is key to FX
Keep it structurally simple (Kiss), says Evan Steed, director FX options trading and sales TD Bank Financial Group. This truism is especially appropriate as the greenback faces an uncertain future and regulatory change comes to Canada
The greenback/HK dollar digital deposit
Hong Kong dollar interest rates remain suppressed. Michael Image, FX structurer for Northeast Asia at Standard Chartered shows a way for HK$ depositors to achieve higher interest rates by taking advantage of the fact that US$/HK$ forwards are trading at…
StanChart in global sales push
SINGAPORE – Standard Chartered has carried out a major restructuring of its sales team in a bid to boost growth, according to David Carr, global head of sales and e-commerce at the bank in Singapore.
Towards risk-free emerging markets investment
Pete Eggleston, head of quantative solutions at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), outlines a way of benefiting from the high yields associated with emerging market investing while controlling the inherent risk
Review of 2004 - January: NAB saga starts in earnest
MELBOURNE – The saga of National Australia Bank’s rogue trading scandal came to light on January 13. The bank said it had uncovered losses of up to A$180 million (US$140 million) from unauthorised trading in forex options during the fourth quarter.
Dollar/won move boosts options market activity
HONG KONG -- Volumes in the forex options markets have surged off the back of the rapid move in the dollar/won over recent weeks, say analysts.
Soft knock-in knock-out forward
The soft knock-in knock-out forward presents a new way to look at knock-ins and knock-outs, taking away the negative impact of untimely barrier events says Enrico Ferrante, senior structurer at Calyon in Paris
UBS holds onto pole position
LONDON – UBS is the top-rated bank in FX, according to the 1400 voters in FX Week's 10th annual survey of the market.
Slow start for India's retail FX market
MUMBAI – Nine months after retail investors were given the de facto go-ahead to start forex trading overseas, volumes have been subdued, say analysts.