Rate-linked notes trigger ‘pain trade’ for dealers

As the 2y30y US swap spread turned negative, hedging costs for range accrual structured products soared and fuelled more flattening

Rate-linked-notes-cause-pain-trade

The inversion of the US dollar swap curve between the two-year and 30-year points in recent weeks has led to losses for some banks’ exotics desks, as dealers struggled to re-hedge their exposure to structured products known as range accrual notes.

The 2y30y constant maturity swap (CMS) spread was around 190 basis points a year ago, but a steady flattening this year saw it turn negative at the end of March, bottoming out at -39.4bp on April 5. A second inversion took place on April 19, and it

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@risk.net or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.risk.net/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@risk.net to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Risk.net? View our subscription options

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Risk.net account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here