Regulation
EBS's February volumes eclipse 2007 levels
Last month's average daily volume of spot FX traded on Icap's electronic spot broking platform EBS Spot increased 34% on February 2007, to $217.2 billion. The interdealer broker reported average daily spot FX trading was also up 32% for the year ending…
Central bank intervention remains unlikely
LONDON, FRANKFURT & NEW YORK - Unless chaos reigns, analysts deem central bank intervention in the currency markets unlikely.
MF Global loses $141.5m from rogue wheat trade
NEW YORK - Interdealer broker MF Global has lost $141.5 million after it was forced to cover trading losses made by one of its employees.
Mifid compliance: a matter of principles
Since the EU's Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid) went into effect on November 1, 2007, financial firms have been racing to implement principles-based regulation to remain compliant and competitive. With various EU members in different…
Kerviel acted alone - SG report finding
PARIS - The Société Générale (SG) investigation into rogue trader Jérome Kerviel has found no evidence of an accomplice, but criticises the bank's oversight teams for failing to take the initiative in following up 93 alerts triggered by his unauthorised…
Three EU states face legal action over Mifid
The European Commission (EC) is referring member states the Czech Republic, Poland and Spain to the European Court of Justice over non-implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid).
NFA bans retail FX broker after failed cover-up
CHICAGO & LONDON - The US National Futures Association (NFA) has permanently barred Florida-based retail foreign exchange broker World Trade Financial (WTF) from NFA membership for a failed cover-up.
There are lessons to be learned from SG
As the barrage of revelations detailing the events leading to the €4.9 billion rogue-trading losses at Société Générale continues, so too do theories on how the French bank could have overlooked the activities of its junior equity index futures trader.
Three simple steps towards risk immunisation
Société Générale - there but for the grace of God? Justyn Trenner and David Poole, principals of client strategy firm ClientKnowledge in London, offer a short check-list of factors to protect against a similar occurrence
NFA cracks down on AMI
CHICAGO & LONDON - The US National Futures Association (NFA) has set a precedent by ordering one of its brokerage members to only solicit promotional material from companies registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the NFA.
London still top of the forex markets
LONDON, NEW YORK, TORONTO & SINGAPORE - London holds firm as the leader of the foreign exchange world, as year-on-year forex growth in the UK continues to outstrip that of the US, according to the latest figures released by regional trade bodies.
EM indexes stand strong
LONDON & NEW YORK - Indexes linked to emerging market currencies have withstood market shocks, as products launched in the past year show steady returns.
Nothing beats a good trading scandal
The past week has produced a frenzy of headlines, from the FTSE index hitting seven-year lows and the Federal Reserve's surprise 75 basis point rate cut, to the billions of dollars in writedowns at major dealers. But nothing grabs the attention as much…
Seeking a sterling collapse
By Pete Luxton, global markets adviser, and Dave Willmer, foreign exchange options market strategist, at Informa Global Markets in London
BoA scales back global FX
LONDON, NEW YORK & SINGAPORE -Bank of America (BoA) is continuing to scale back its global foreign exchange operations, with senior-level departures and desk closures last week.
CFTC stays quiet on forex scam
WASHINGTON DC - The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said it could neither "confirm nor deny" the existence of an investigation by its offices into a US man who allegedly defrauded investors millions of dollars.
CME e-trading upgrades save time and money
CHICAGO - CME Group has announced several product and technology enhancements aimed at reducing response time and cost.
UBS launches Greenhouse Index
LONDON - UBS is set to launch UBS Greenhouse Index (UBS-GHI), a tradable investment benchmark tracking a combination of weather futures and greenhouse gas emissions credits, on January 23.
NFA shuts down four FX dealers
CHICAGO - Four foreign exchange brokers were forced to close operations last month after failing to meet the National Futures Association's (NFA) $5 million minimum net capital requirements.
FXall posts record volumes for 2007
LONDON - Multibank portal FXall reported record annual trading volumes of over $13.4 trillion - single count - in 2007, a 37% rise over 2006 figures.
SWFs look beyond the US dollar
NEW YORK & HONG KONG - The greenback is likely to be the main loser as sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) diversify into yen and other non-euro currencies, say analysts.
Lehman gains from CBA split
SYDNEY - The Commonwealth Bank of Australia's (CBA) decision to split its global markets and treasury business is playing into the hands of local competitors Lehman Brothers and the National Australia Bank.
FxTrade fined $9.9 million for fraud
WASHINGTON, DC - The US District Court for Tennessee found Gordon Jack Vandeveld, a broker at Tennessee firm FxTrade Financial, guilty of futures fraud on December 12.
BoA scales back LaSalle FX
CHICAGO - Bank of America (BoA) has culled the corporate foreign exchange and rates desk of LaSalle Bank in Chicago, resulting in more than 22 redundancies.