Trading
Talks mount over FXall buyer
NEW YORK – FXall has agreed to sell a 20% stake to private equity firm Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV), based on an overall valuation of $300 million for the company, say sources.
Calyon points to cyclical factors
LONDON – French bank Calyon has cemented its top five position in all three historical tables by maintaining its year-long view that cyclical factors are the dominant driving factor for currencies.
Reuters adds trading service for exchanges
LONDON – Reuters last week entered the exchange-traded space with an offering that enables the buy side to execute trades on exchange products with brokers from a single screen.
EBS pushes into emerging markets
BEIJING – Global trading platform and data provider EBS is making inroads into the emerging markets arena with the roll-out of its data service in China and the introduction of its prime brokerage platform in eastern Europe.
Not too late to sell the Swedish krona
As the short-term interest rate spread between the eurozone and Sweden increases, we are likely to see further depreciation of the krona, writes Henrik Degrér , senior portfolio strategist of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB)
HSBC FX revenues rise
LONDON – HSBC ended 2005 with a 6% rise in revenue from foreign exchange over the previous year, with the bank benefiting from increased interest in emerging markets.
Is risk adequately priced?
An end to carry plays on high-yield emerging currencies would create volatility in FX markets and potential flight to safe-haven assets. Sharada Selvanathan , currency strategist at BNP Paribas in Singapore, suggests a basket to benefit from this
Peso strong despite political turmoil
MANILA - The Philippine peso has weathered the storm of the recent political turmoil to close at a fresh three-and-a-half year peak of 51.17 per dollar (March 3 midday GMT) as political worries eased, according to traders.
Saxo adds Web and Mobile Trader
COPENHAGEN - Saxo Bank has announced that it is introducing a browser-based trading platform to complement its Saxo Trader.
Algorithmic trading in forex limited by fragmentation
NEW YORK - The growth of algorithmic trading in the FX space has been limited by the fragmented dealer market, according to research by Tabb Group released last week.
BarCap highlights FX benefits
LONDON - Portfolio diversification and alpha generation are the two key reasons why non-FX investors should access the asset class, according to a report released by Barclays Capital last week.
Westpac benefits from yen weakness
Two non-consensus views have helped lift Westpac to the top of the three-month forecast rankings, according to Geoff Kendrick, senior currency strategist at the bank in London.
Turkey and the butterfly
Marios Maratheftis , FX strategist at Standard Chartered Bank in London, says it is one thing being positive on the TRY and another being complacent. Here he presents three models that can help with the timing of TRY trades.
Carry trades set to lose their sparkle
LONDON - Conditions for carry trades are likely to deteriorate further this year, according to French bank BNP Paribas.
Volatile times for the Thai baht
BANGKOK - Political uncertainty in Thailand and likely further rate hikes will lead to short-term volatility in the Thai baht, say market participants.
Look past the Fed for dollar positives
Geoff Kendrick, senior currency strategist at Westpac in London, believes the market is too focused on the Fed's intention for rates, and is therefore missing the medium- term positive signs for the greenback
Rabo outperforms with strong dollar view
Rabobank's decision to go against the conventional wisdom of a dollar decline has kept the Dutch bank near the summit of the one-month historical index.
Reuters expands in China
EIJING - Reuters is significantly increasing its presence in China, signing five banks to its Dealing 3000 matching service and selling its Kondor risk management product suite to six.
Future opportunities from EUR/CHF
Corvin Codirla and Adarsh Sinha, fx strategists at barclays capital in london, show that while low eur/chf volatility may be justified at present, investors should position for a pick-up further out
A flexible approach to hedging
UBS's FX structuring team offers two case studies highlighting the benfits of flexible hedging solutions in the form of flexi notional forwards and structured flexi forwards
Loonie flight to quality remains on course
The current outlook for real interest rates and the growth picture remains favourable for the Canadian dollar, writes Ashraf Laidi , chief currency analyst at MG Financial in New York
SEB's greenback loyalty pays off
SKANDINAVISKA ENSKILDA BANKEN'S (SEB) 14-month loyalty towards a positive US dollar – dating back to late 2004 – has seen the bank rewarded with the top spot in the one-month rankings and one-month historical index.
Signs of the times, symbols of success
Emerging markets currencies are gradually coming to the fore.