Trading
Year of plenty for top 30 banks
Little evidence of mid-tier contraction as revenue ranking hits new high
Micex expands forex coverage
MOSCOW – The Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (Micex) has launched new FX contracts in a step towards expanding the exchange-traded FX market in Russia.
Yen volatility returns in MoF absence
TOKYO – Traders in Japan are reporting a healthy return to yen volatility following the Japanese Ministry of Finance's (MoF) withdrawal from currency intervention in mid March.
Consensus forecasts win out
Consensus forecasts are commonly seen as a reliable indicator of future currency moves, and our Currency Forecasts Index proves this – to a degree.
Kiwi ripens against Aussie
The New Zealand dollar is rising against the Aussie in line with interest rate differentials. But potential growth in Australia may cap its gains, says Sue Trinh, currency strategist at the Bank of New Zealand in Wellington
Election uncertainty hits Phillippine peso trading
MANILA – Market participants in the Philippines are anticipating a return to volatility in the next few weeks, as uncertainty over the recent elections clears up.
Swissie rise snares forecasters
Dollar/Swiss was the most difficult currency pair to forecast over the past month, as the Swissie's 5% rise against the greenback took it from 1.3019 on May 7 to 1.2370 on June 7. Average % accuracy on one-month forecasts submitted by the 38 banks on our…
Improver knock-in forward for dollar bears
With the widely held belief that dollar/yen has scope to fall much further, Royal Bank of Canada's financial engineering team in London proposes a solution for a client wanting to buy US dollar forwards at more attractive rates. An 'improver knock-in…
An obsession with oil
Swiss franc, Norwegian krone and euro gains may be about to reverse, says Steven Pearson, chief currency strategist at HBOS Treasury Services in London
Snow hails CME's China deal
CHICAGO – The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has forged a ground- breaking deal with a central bank-sponsored FX trading platform in China, in a move hailed by US government officials as a crucial step towards renminbi flexibility.
EBS launches Aussie and Canadian trading packages
LONDON – Spot broker EBS last week launched new Australian and Canadian dollar packages for its dealing platform in a bid to increase market-share in those currencies.
Japan's MoF steers clear of intervention
TOKYO – Japan's Ministry of Finance (MoF) last week revealed it has not intervened in the FX markets since mid-March – and is likely to refrain from further currency intervention for some time, said market participants.
Volatility troubles traders
High intra-day volatility is making life difficult for forex traders, says Shahab Jalinoos, senior FX strategist at ABN Amro in London
RBS is top 12m forecaster
Forecasting currency moves over a 12-month horizon is a difficult discipline. In addition to negotiating unexpected economic data, interest rate differentials and trader psychology, the successful forecaster must also contend with geopolitical risks - a…
Long-term solution for dollar/rupee liability
With the Indian rupee rising and a low federal funds rate, Amit Bansal, head of treasury at Barclays Capital in Mumbai, proposes a solution for a corporate to take advantage of the inverted swap points
ACI Congress debates future
LONDON – The European forex community gathered in London last week for the ACI European Congress hosted by ACI UK. Among the contentious issues discussed during the three-day event were operational risk, the future of the European Union and trading in…
Oil troubles yen forecasting
Yen was the most troublesome currency to forecast throughout May, as the soaring cost of oil hit oil consumer Japan’s unit – and with it, yen forecasting accuracy.
Election jitters
A tight presidential race could spell trouble ahead for the US dollar, says Peter Luxton (right) global markets adviser at Informa Global Markets in London
CME and Reuters pool liquidity
LONDON – Trading systems vendor Reuters and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange are bringing together their pools of buy-side and sell-side liquidity in what may be the first move towards an exchange model for the FX market.
Yen vol boosts BTM revenues
TOKYO – Yen volatility has boosted Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi’s (BTM) FX revenues, it said last week, as client demand for currency options soared in fiscal 2003.
EBS opens up prime broker service
LONDON – Spot broker EBS has opened EBS Prime, its FX prime brokerage service, to more banks, following a 20-week pilot programme with prime brokers Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase and The Royal Bank of Scotland, along with 16 pilot customers.
Raising the standard for London
ACI’s European Congress in London this week has been two years in preparation. Robin Poynder, chairman of the organising committee, describes the agonies and ecstasies of staging the forex industry event in the UK capital
Dealers dismiss UK euro entry
LONDON – More than a quarter of forex dealers interviewed for an exclusive poll for FX Week think sterling will never become part of the single European currency. Another 10% believe the UK’s entry into the euro is at least another 10 years away – with…
Terrorism threatens Turkish lira
Turkey’s proximity to the worsening situation in Iraq is prompting an outflow of capital and sending the lira spiralling downwards, says Neil Mellor, FX strategist at Bank of New York in London