Structured products
WHAT IS THIS? Structured products are investments that have multiple components. For retail investors, the most common form is a bond plus an option – these tend to be standardised, sold in small tickets and large volumes. Managing the risks of large structured products portfolios is one of the biggest challenges dealers face.
Incapital acquires Blue Sky Asset Management
US investment bank and structured products specialist Incapital will takeover UK distributor Blue Sky Asset Management. Blue Sky's book of plans will be subsumed into Incapital Europe
Swiss structured products and ETF volumes see sharp decline in June
Trading and turnover volumes in the Swiss structured products and ETF markets fall in June after seeing gains during the start of the year
S&P launches quality ranking indexes and licenses to PowerShares
Standard and Poor's has extended its index range to include quality rankings indexes, one of which has been licensed to Invesco PowerShares, and has added sector indexes in its CDS Index family
FTSE strengthens global business with executive hires
FTSE Group has added to its London office with the recruitment of five senior executives
South Korea implements product pre-approval regulation
South Korea launched its new derivatives product approval system in June but issues remain
McLaughlin joins law firm Fried Frank in New York
US law firm Fried Frank has hired Robert McLaughlin, co-founder of the structured products practice at Katten Muchin Rosenman
Volatility helps German structurers offer attractive returns
The problems in the eurozone are unleashing volatility across the continent's indexes, thereby making it easier for bankers in Germany to offer good coupons on autocallables
Vanguard creates ETFs on equities, fixed income and property
Vanguard has increased its US ETF offering with the addition of a host of new products based on the benchmark S&P 500 and Russell 2000, and including equities, fixed income and property
UK ETF investors abandoning FTSE 100 in favour of global indexes
The balance of UK investments in ETFs has shifted from the FTSE 100 index towards ETFs based on the S&P 500, MSCI Emerging Markets and Japan in the first quarter of 2010.
Citi strengthens emerging markets equity derivatives team
Citi has added four new hires to its CEEMEA operations as its equity derivatives platform pushes into emerging markets.
FDIC will apply lower deposit limits to products in circulation
If the US congress votes to lower the deposit insurance limit to $100,000, then that figure will count for products currently in circulation, says the FDIC
Petrone rejoins Citi as head of capital markets
Citi Private Bank in New York has named Thomas Petrone as head of capital markets, with responsibility for the bank's ultra-high-net-worth clients
BNP Paribas snares Quentin Renaud from SocGen for MTNs and structured products
BNP Paribas has added Quentin Renaud to its London-based global MTN trading desk
FTSE indexes track firms' carbon exposure risk
Two new carbon indexes will enable investors to make investment decisions based on how carbon reduction schemes affect company earnings
RBC offers exposure to BP through structured products
Royal Bank of Canada has issued a new reverse convertible based on BP. The oil company's shares have risen in the US market in recent trading despite hitting a 13-year low on the London Stock Exchange
Capital gains tax reprieve cheers investors amid budget gloom
The less-than-expected increase in capital gains tax announced by UK chancellor George Osborne means structured products retain their tax-efficient status