Regulation
BIS paints bright future for FX
BASEL – The huge growth in daily turnover in the global foreign exchange market, revealed in the Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) triennial FX survey last week, has painted a bright future ahead for forex market participants.
Making the most of upcoming volatility
For the currency overlay manager looking to take advantage of a burst of market volatility at the start of the fourth quarter, Simon Derrick, head of Bank of New York's currency strategy team, describes a simple, low-cost way for them to express their…
Optimism ahead of latest BIS FX trade figures
BASEL – Banks are bullish about the Bank of International Settlements' (BIS) latest FX trading figures, due out in a survey this week.
Sun Platinum pays $40 million penalty
WASHINGTON – FX trading firm Sun Platinum was last week ordered to pay $40 million in civil penalties and restitution to customers, after a US district court entered a default judgment against the firm.
NAB to re-open options desk
MELBOURNE – National Australia Bank hopes to re-open its currency options desk in the "near-term", said chairman Graham Kraehe last week. However, the bank refused to be drawn on a date, saying it was up to regulator the Australian Prudential Regulation…
Politics fail to dampen hopes for forint
BUDAPEST – The resignation last month of Hungary's prime minister Peter Medgyessy has not led to the trading opportunities that may have been expected from the country's currency, the forint.
Foley to launch Gelber FX desk
CHICAGO – Bank One's former forex options chief Justin Foley is joining Gelber Trading, a division of Chicago-based trading firm Gelber Group, to set up a new FX desk in September.
FX volumes up by a third
LONDON – FX trading volumes are up by nearly a third over the past three years, according to new research from UK consultancy ClientKnowledge.
New hedging policy adds $35m fizz to Fosters
MELBOURNE – Australian brewer Fosters Group added nearly US$35 million to its operating profits after changing its FX policy this year in response to upcoming accounting standard IAS 39.
Commerce FX storms US retail market
BOSTON – Commerce FX, a subsidiary of Boston-based Commerce Bank & Trust, is reaping the rewards of its entrance into the retail margin trading market last year, an official told FX Week .
Hedging when the market moves against you
A nine month sliding forward structure can help your company achieve attractive FX hedging rates when the market has moved substantially beyond your budget rates, says Adam Gilmour, head of FX options sales in Citigroup's emerging markets sales and…
Return of the voice broker
Cantor Fitzgerald revives voice broking market with spin-off firm. NEW YORK - Cantor Fitzgerald reversed a trend of consolidation in the broking market last week by spinning off a new firm to focus exclusively on voice broking.
Russian peg change to drive rouble trading
MOSCOW – A touted move from a dollar peg to a dollar-euro basket will be the key driver for trading in the rouble in coming months.
HKMA rules out Basel II AMA approach
HONG KONG – Hong Kong's banking regulator, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), will not allow the territory's banks to use the advanced measurement approach (AMA) for measuring operational risk when Basel II is implemented from the end of 2006.
AIB repays e 26m for overcharging
Customers to be repaid as regulator's report details AIB's "failures" DUBLIN – Allied Irish Banks (AIB) said it is repaying e 26 million ($32 million) it overcharged clients on three million FX deals, after a regulator slammed the bank in a report last…
IASB proposes new disclosure standards
LONDON – IASB (the International Accounting Standards Board) last week published proposals to improve disclosures about financial instruments in financial statements.
FXC issues broker points rules
NEW YORK – The Foreign Exchange Committee, a US industry association affiliated to the Federal Reserve, last week issued new guidelines on broker ‘points’ – the issue at the heart of last year’s massive Wall Street forex fraud.
The flight from NAB continues
LONDON – The flood of departures from National Australia Bank (NAB) continued last week as three senior institutional dealers left the bank in London and New York.
US regulator loses retail fraud case appeal
CHICAGO – US regulator the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has lost an appeal to assert its jurisdiction over a retail FX trading firm it accused of fraud. Appeal court judges found in the test case of the futures regulator and AlaronFX of…
Euro doubts remain despite EC growth forecasts
LONDON – Economic growth in the eurozone is set to exceed the European Commission’s forecast of 1.7% in 2004, it said in its quarterly report last week – but analysts remain sceptical that this will be enough to sustain the euro’s current rally.
Baltics, Slovenia set for early euro adoption
LONDON – Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia are likely to be the first of the new European Union member states to adopt the euro, Fitch Ratings said last week.
"What is risk management?" ask Risk USA speakers
BOSTON – The way banks and other financial institutions think about – and sometimes misinterpret – risk management formed the main theme of the opening keynote speeches at FX Week sister publication Risk 's USA conference held last week.
Tax bill to bring the dollars home
NEW YORK – A new tax bill in the US that is likely to herald a massive repatriation of funds into the country could spell a 5%–10% hike for the dollar, according to one scenario model from Dutch bank ABN Amro.