News
Offshore króna market trading thinly
REYKJAVIK - The offshore market in Icelandic króna remained illiquid last week despite a loosening up of capital controls, as liquidity providers stayed out of the market.
Murphy ends 14 years at Morgan Stanley
LONDON - Chris Murphy, European head of interest rate trading at Morgan Stanley in London, resigned from the firm last week, while the US bank announced falling profits and a 50% reduction in the bonus pool.
Yen rally leaves traders short
TOKYO - The value of retail trading accounts at FXOnline Japan fell by 75% between July and October, as the yen rally caused losses in short yen positions.
Dresdner heads to get key roles post-merger
LONDON - Dresdner Kleinwort employees will be handed key roles in the fixed-income division in London once the bank's merger with Commerzbank is complete.
Forex forwards bounce back as year ends
LONDON - Efforts by global central banks to boost interbank trading are reaping returns, with short-dated foreign exchange forwards basis falling sharply last week. But longer-dated tenors remain a concern, say traders.
Departures continue at ABN/RBS
SINGAPORE & LONDON - David Dredge, head of local markets trading at ABN Amro in Singapore, has left the bank, sources tell FX Week .
Strong Q3 for FX derivatives
BASEL - Trading volumes in exchange-traded foreign exchange derivatives grew in the third quarter this year, despite an overall decline in volumes in exchange-traded derivatives, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Portlock new spot FX chief at WestLB
DUSSELDORF - WestLB appointed Mark Portlock global head of spot foreign exchange last Thursday, following the decision by Dan Jones, head of FX and commodities trading for liquid markets, to leave the bank.
Kelly ends short stint at Deutsche
LONDON - Connor Kelly has left Deutsche Bank less than six months after being poached from US rival Goldman Sachs.
Credit Suisse cuts rates teams in Asia, but FX safe
HONG KONG - Credit Suisse began cutting its work force in Hong Kong last Wednesday, primarily hitting credit and equities structuring, but sources say rates teams in the city were also affected.
New EUR/ISK domestic pair launches
REYKJAVIK - Thomson Reuters is set to list a new currency pair, EUR/ISK Domestic, on the Spot Matching System in January to support trading between Icelandic banks onshore.
CFTC fines OTC traders $12m
WASHINGTON, DC - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will secure $12 million in penalties from three traders and their six businesses for an over-the-counter forex options scam.
HSBC offers Islamic FX options in London
LONDON - HSBC is now dealing in sharia-compliant plain vanilla foreign exchange options from London, in response to growing global demand for the product.
GBP fall sparks volume rise
LONDON - The pound's fall to record levels against the euro last week sparked unseasonal trading in the foreign exchange markets, say traders.
Currency strategy success continues
LONDON - The reversal of fortunes for currency managers continued in November, with all but those employing carry strategies generating positive returns, said the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
Futures look bright for Ice
ATLANTA - The Intercontinental-Exchange (Ice) Millions FX futures contracts have traded at an average daily volume of $350 million since launch a month ago, according to the Atlanta-based exchange.
Capital controls hamper króna's comeback
REYKJAVIK - Iceland re-floated its currency last week but existing capital controls continue to drive away interest in króna trading.
JPM axes in London FX
LONDON - JP Morgan made cuts to its foreign exchange team in London last week, according to market sources.
Ellis departs CIBC
TORONTO - Craig Ellis, managing director in foreign exchange and money markets at CIBC World Markets, served his last day at the firm last Friday (December 5).
Yuan NDFs set to peak
BEIJING - Chinese renminbi non-deliverable forward (NDF) rates could peak this week, ending the rapid rise seen since the government indicated plans to allow the unit to depreciate at the end of November, according to traders .
Banks slash jobs in FX
NEW YORK & LONDON - Wider cuts at global dealers have hit foreign exchange teams across both sides of the Atlantic, with many redundancies made last week.