Derivs - FX

The average daily volume total for over-the-counter FX instruments in the US was up by 35% in October 2014 versus April 2013 surpassing $1tr, the highest volume recorded since the survey began in 2004.

ICAP Information Service has paired with Wind Information Company, a Shanghai-based market data provider, to offer a multi-faceted renminbi and Treasury data service to investors and market participants in China. The partnership will result in the first ever continuous, offshore financial data provision to Chinese markets.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council in the US is changing the classification process for systemically important financial institutions, prompting concern about the government's extended remit over insurance, clearing and other non-financial organisations. With no hard set of rules and procedures for the new classification system yet released, lawyers are concerned that the statute is ambiguous, inherently flawed and opaque.

Hedge funds and asset managers are increasingly turning to short term options and short dated derivatives products as ways of maximising liquidity in an increasingly illiquid market, according to TABB Group.

Sharon Bowen, from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, issued a statement on January 22 arguing that the retail FX market was the least regulated part of the derivatives industry, following the shock move on January 15 by the Swiss National Bank to abandon the Sfr1.20 euro/Swiss franc exchange rate peg. However, lawyers argue that retail FX is one of the most heavily regulated sectors, which may in fact be increasing risk.

Investors have been looking at buying call spreads on the Euro Stoxx 50, funded with out-of-the-money put spreads based on high volatility and expectations of quantitative easing announcements at the European Central Bank meeting on January 22.

CLS Group and TriOptima have teamed up to offer an FX forward compression service in order to address the regulatory requirement for financial counterparties to have procedures in place to analyse the possibility of portfolio compression for non-centrally cleared over-the-counter derivatives.

CME Group has once again increased its two-tier, front end-loaded tender offer for GFI Group to $5.85 per share, matching BGC Partners’ contingent $5.85 per share all-cash offer announced on 15 January. This price escalation represents the newest development in a nearly eight month bidding war for the firm, and nearly a $0.40 per share escalation since 15 January.

CME Group has increased its two-tier, front end-loaded tender offer for GFI Group to $5.60 per share, matching BGC Partners’ $5.60 per share all-cash offer announced on 14 January. This price escalation represents the newest development in a nearly eight-month bidding war for the firm.

The Swiss National Bank shocked markets on Thursday when it abandoned its Sfr1.20 floor on the euro and cut the interest rate on sight deposit balances to minus 0.75%. The SNB and some investor portfolios will suffer big losses.

The way that firms report trade and transaction data under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive could converge before the implementation of MiFID II in January 2017.

The Singapore Exchange and ICAP’s electronic FX business, EBS, have teamed up to develop a new range of Asian currency products and services which will strengthen the liquidity in the FX over-the-counter derivatives and futures markets in Asia.