Derivatives

Interdealer rankings 2009: Brokers

The top interdealer brokers remain largely unchanged from last year, despite the unprecedented market conditions. But a push towards central clearing and exchange trading by regulators could lead to a shake-up in the industry. By Alexander Campbell, with…

Interdealer rankings 2009: Dealers

In one of the most tumultuous years on record for the derivatives industry, Deutsche Bank has reclaimed top spot overall from JP Morgan in the 2009 interdealer rankings. In the other major change, Barclays Capital broke into the top three, knocking…

Sharia and sharia alike

Opinion on whether derivatives comply with sharia has split scholars in Islamic financial markets. Mohamad Nedal Alchaar, secretary-general of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, talks to Alastair Marsh about its…

Asia Risk institutional survey 2009

Institutional investors in Asia have endured a tough year marked by steep losses, high volatility and concerns about counterparty risk. But their need for quality service on a local level has never been stronger. Deutsche Bank topped Asia Risk's…

Simple structures

An increase in risk premiums on sovereign debt is giving banks a headache in pricing certain credit-related structured products. Investor appetite for such deals is in evidence, but mainly for simple, unleveraged products. Sophia Morrell reports

Financial pricing for the 21st century

Putting a price on assets for which no active market exists is a process mired in complexity and no little controversy. But the pricing models of yesteryear are simply not up to the job. David Patrikarakos looks at the new generation of valuation models…

The sovereign state

While the sovereign market has in the past been most readily associated with rates investors, it has always been a key part of the credit sector, most importantly as a benchmark for the pricing of corporate bonds. But credit default swap levels on…

Cutting hedges

Buoyed by a strong local currency and surging commodities prices in recent years, many Russian corporates eschewed derivatives to hedge risks. But with both the rouble and commodity prices plummeting in recent months, it may be time for a rethink…