Trading
Is the UK consumer a spent force?
Jeremy Stretch, FX strategist at Rabobank in London, looks at the economic backdrop, interest rate expectations and prospects for growth in the UK in 2006
EBS enhances market data offering
LONDON & New York – FX platform EBS has enhanced its spot capabilities with an additional market data offering.
Currency strategies down in 2005
LONDON – Most currency funds are likely to have ended 2005 nursing losses, with trend followers down almost 10%, indicates research from ABN Amro.
PBoC gives OTC foreign exchange go-ahead
BEIJING/SHANGHAI – The People's Bank of China (PBoC) opened up the country's spot FX market to over-the-counter trades last week, and introduced 13 market-makers to provide liquidity in the renminbi.
Globalisation, current accounts and the dollar
Many observers stubbornly think EUR/USD must rise to correct the US current account deficit, while others believe global imbalances are mainly about America's external deficit. Danske Bank's approach is slightly different, says Teis Knuthsen , head of…
Keeping it real
BRASILIA – The Brazilian real (BRL) was one of the strongest currencies of 2005, and political din surrounding the October elections is expected to lead to further strength in the unit, say market observers.
BMo benefits from dollar strength
Bank of Montreal (BMo) has started the year in style by topping the one-month forecast for the second successive week, owing to accurate US dollar predictions.
US banks benefit from dollar upswing
NEW YORK – April saw stateside banks benefiting from a greenback revival, with profits surging in the first quarter.
No votes lead to euro volatility
LONDON – The ‘no’ votes on the EU constitution referendums in France and the Netherlands led to unexpected volatility in the currency markets at the start of the month, with the highest volumes ever seen on some platforms.
Hong Kong limits speculative trading
HONG KONG – May saw speculation about the shift in the renminbi peg affect the policy of neighbouring economies.
Commodity currencies are set to sparkle in 2006, says Trevor Williams, chief economist at Lloyds TSB Financial Markets in London
Go for the currencies with the commodities
Terrorist attacks hit e-trading
LONDON – The July 7 terrorist attacks in London caused widespread disruption to electronic trading, with spreads widening considerably and at least one bank not delivering prices to a portal.
Preparing for Korean won under-performance in 2006
Standard Chartered’s economics and FX strategy team suggest ways to position for a weaker Korean won in 2006
Canadian dollar hits new heights
OTTAWA – Almost four years after it hit an all-time low, the Canadian dollar (loonie) is riding on the crest of a wave after reaching its highest level in years.
Enigma – a cracking good model
Pete Eggleston, head of quant solutions at the Royal Bank of Scotland, financial markets, in London, discusses systematic trading of FX implied volatility using the 'Enigma' model
Thinking outside the US dollar
Marios Maratheftis, FX strategist at Standard Chartered in London, sees an end to the dollar's rally, and describes how high yielders together with Asian and African currencies are offering exciting opportunities
Yen reverses weakening trend
The yen staged a comeback last week, reversing a trend of weakness against the greenback seen since June, when dollar/yen hit 108.17.
Dollar strength hits accuracy
Wide-of-the-mark forecasts mean the three- and twelve-month rankings have seen more and more inaccuracy in recent weeks, with an average divergence this week of 6.39 and 12.4, respectively.
Turkish lira joining mainstream
ANKARA – Just a few years ago the Turkish Lira (TRY) was seen as a unit on the risky side of the emerging market spectrum, but the market is now taking it seriously.
The FX implications of the gold-oil ratio
In a week that has seen gold hit a 24-year high, more attention is being paid to the inter-relationship between prices of fuel and metals, specifically oil and gold, says Ashraf Laidi, chief currency analyst at MG Financial in New York
Emerging markets options go online
LONDON – Banks are building up online capabilities for emerging market currency options as the market for the products continues to expand.
Going global
In the first of a series, FX Week looks at the big hitters in the industry. First is HSBC, which knocked Citi off the number three spot in last month's Best Banks Awards
Slovakia hits the euro road
Slovakia looks set to be the next country to join the euro, but political uncertainty caused by forthcoming elections means there are still likely to be opportunities for those seeking to trade the koruna