Sovereign bonds
Iraq woos bond investors as sovereign debt tightens
Iraq is beginning to open its doors again to international investors. With the country needing to raise capital to develop the infrastructure required to exploit its energy reserves, Credit looks at the role bond issuance could play in Iraq’s future.
BlueBay recruits Deutsche’s Mark Dowding
Former head of European fixed income for DWS Investments hired to build government bond franchise.
Equity volatility backlash
Taking a long equity volatility position is a favourite macro hedge for risk managers and traders across asset classes, but the trade doesn’t always work as expected. How has the volatility experienced in May and June affected macro hedging? Joel Clark…
ECB closes in on inferior collateral with new haircut scheme
European Central Bank’s new discount schedule increases haircuts levied on troublesome collateral, such as asset-backed securities; analysts expect move to discourage pledging of risky assets
M&G slams Cebs stress tests
Fund manager criticises sovereign risk assumptions and raises Basel III fears
ICBC’s Wang warns on eurozone debt contagion and Chinese property fears
In a contribution to Asia Risk’s 15th anniversary edition, Wang Lili, executive director and senior executive vice-president of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, cites the European sovereign debt crisis as a key risk management challenge for…
Double dip seen as most likely threat to financial system
Recent Risk.net poll finds market fears second global slowdown above other scenarios
Quant Congress USA: UK and Netherlands least risky European debt
Relatively healthy private sector means UK and Netherlands least likely to default
ECB pins hope on new rescue measures to save Eurozone
The commencement of the ECB’s government bond purchase programme and the announcement of an EU loan facility for struggling peripheral countries resulted in an immediate tightening of spreads. Yet uncertainty remains as to whether beneficiaries will be…
Eurozone debt fears waning, agencies say
Rising bond prices and falling CDS volumes mean eurozone sovereign debt is past the worst
Insurers reappraise forex risk
Increasing currency volatility has prompted a reappraisal of insurers’ foreign exchange hedging approach – a phenomenon that will be accelerated, particularly in the Nordic regions, with the advent of Solvency II. Laurie Carver reports
Economists fear 'global bond trap'
Economists warn fiscal belt-tightening in Europe may exacerbate imbalances in the global economy, leading to sluggish growth and excess liquidity in government bonds.
Questions raised about CCP collateral
Bank collateral managers raise concern about wrong-way risk in clearing house collateral
Execs would not be surpised if Eurozone shrinks, report claims
RBC Capital Markets survey say Greece most likely country to leave the eurozone.
Sovereign debt and CDSs: a collection of articles from Risk.net
The world is watching nervously as sovereign debt is rocked by fiscal and economic crises in the eurozone.
Contagion fears drive volatility
The takeover of a Spanish savings bank last month and rumours of funding difficulties at the country's financial institutions spook investors
Risk roulette on eurozone scenarios
The European Union and International Monetary Fund agreed a €750 billion emergency loan package in early May, aimed at averting a sovereign default and wider crisis across the eurozone. Nonetheless, banks have been preparing for the worst, stress testing…
Self-referencing CDS risk?
Ballooning credit default swap spreads on European sovereigns have encouraged some market participants to sell credit protection on their own country. But how much is this protection really worth, and could this selling contribute to systemic risk? Mark…
Slow ahead for euro rates business
Investors have grown increasingly worried about exposures to eurozone sovereigns given the problems faced by Greece and others. Christophe Mianné, head of global markets at SG CIB, warns the second quarter will prove to be tough for the European rates…
Brazil leads booming sovereign CDS trade
Sovereign CDS transactions eclipsed corporate protection volume in past nine months.
High yield may suffer after government stimulus withdrawal: Jeff Burch profile
The co-head of credit at Investec Asset Management says double-B companies may struggle if economic growth stalls after governments pull the plug on their stimulus measures.