Foreign exchange
CME forex volumes rose 29% in January
CHICAGO – The Chicago Mercantile Exchange daily FX volume averaged 494,000 contracts in January, up 29% from the same period last year.
Dresdner exodus continues in forex
LONDON – The exodus from Dresdner Kleinwort's foreign exchange business continued last week, with three departures hitting the institutional FX sales desk, and one each from FX options and spot FX trading in London.
Forex gap widens between London and New York
LONDON & NEW YORK – Forex volumes in London have outstripped those of rival trading centres, as the boom in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and proximity to emerging markets provides a boost to the UK capital.
SG CIB names forex line-up
LONDON & PARIS – Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking (SG CIB) has named three managers to head its global FX business, in its fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) division.
The importance of best execution
The biggest piece of news to come out of last week is the sale of Currenex to State Street for $564 million.
Mifid explained – an introduction
Chris Pickles, chair of the Mifid Joint Working Group in London, discusses the implications of the directive on foreign exchange
BarCap index fund gains traction
LONDON – The Barclays Intelligent Carry Index (ICI) fund has received "substantial interest" two weeks after launch, according to officials at the bank in London.
RBS breaks into Russian market
LONDON & MOSCOW – RBS Global Banking and Markets has signed an exclusive agreement with Russian investment bank Renaissance Capital to sell derivatives solutions in the country.
Fimat MD takes top US forex post at SGCIB
NEW YORK – Vincent Bonamy, Fimat's managing director of financial products and services for the Americas, is to become head of FX for Société Générale Corporate and Investment Bank (SG CIB) for the region.
State Street acquisition of Currenex sends shock waves
BOSTON – US bank State Street's decision to acquire FX trading platform Currenex for $564 million has sent shock waves through the industry.
CFTC to adapt rules governing futures traders
WASHINGTON DC – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last week said futures traders will be required to become registered members of a self-regulatory trade association from February.
US banks report strength in last quarter of 2006
NEW YORK – US banks have reported a positive set of results from their currencies business for Q4 2006. The currencies business helped to push revenues higher in most of the banks, but dented the fixed-income revenues at Goldman Sachs.
Parker Global launches investable forex index
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT – Investment consultant Parker Global Strategies (PGS) has launched PGS FX Alpha Edge, an investable foreign exchange index.
Banks gear up for emerging markets push
The competition for emerging market business is hotting up, with US banks preparing for a push.
FXMarketSpace to spur consolidation
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – FXMarketSpace will facilitate consolidation in e-FX, according to Robert Iati, partner at research and advisory company TABB Group.
Deutsche and RBC appoint senior currency strategists
TOKYO & TORONTO – Currency strategists are en vogue this month, with banks building up FX research teams in Tokyo and Toronto.
BNP Paribas overhauls e-business
PARIS & NEW YORK – BNP Paribas has overhauled its electronic foreign exchange business as it looks to establish itself as a leading player in the arena.
Société Générale CIB names new FICC heads
PARIS – Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking (SGCIB) has appointed Marc Breillout and Gregoire Varenne to head the new fixed income, currencies and commodities division in Paris.
Consolidation is the key theme
The theme of consolidation in the brokerage industry continues this year, with Société Générale and Calyon confirming exclusive negotiations to merge their brokerages Fimat and Calyon Financial. But what happened to all that talk about consolidation in…
ABN Amro cuts back London forex staff
LONDON – ABN Amro has made cuts to its London FX team, resulting in the departure of John Marley, European head of sales.
FXall volumes surged 45% in 2006 on growing market
LONDON – Trading volumes on multibank platform FXall surged 45% in 2006, with over $9.8 trillion traded on a single-count basis.
Oregon state, CFTC fines Orion founder
OREGON – The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the District Court of Oregon have fined Russell Cline, founder of foreign currency trading firm, Orion International $33 million.
India pledges to pursue a less restrictive FX strategy
MUMBAI & HONG KONG – Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement last week, confirming the country's commitment to gradually move towards a less restrictive forex regime.
China launches benchmark Shibor rate
SHANGHAI – China has taken further steps towards developing its interest rates derivatives market, with the launch of the Shanghai interbank offered rate (Shibor) last Thursday (January 4).