MarketVoice News
-
R.J. O'Brien expands beyond futures with structured products
R. J. O’Brien, the largest independent futures broker in the U.S., has launched a new service providing agricultural structured products to its clients, the company’s first venture into this area.
CONTINUE READING -
Top Six Deals of 2018: Capital Markets M&A
Investment bankers who work on mergers and acquisitions in the finance sector had a busy year in 2018. Some of the biggest names in capital markets were involved in billion-dollar deals to expand their businesses. There was also a significant number of smaller deals, particularly among technology vendors and brokerages looking to expand their geographic footprint, target a niche market, or bring in additional capabilities. The following six M&A transactions reflect key trends in the global capital markets and indicate what kind of deals we might expect in the year to come. In some cases, such as CME Group's acquisition of NEX, the transactions involved companies directly engaged in the trading and clearing of derivatives. In other cases, such as Intercontinental Exchange's acquisition of Bondpoint, the transactions were outside the derivatives markets, but we have included them on the list because of their implications for trading technology, data solutions and market structure.
CONTINUE READING -
CME releases reference data API to support trading automation
These days, trading takes place in nanoseconds. But the process of setting up the mechanics of that trading process has remained cumbersome manual work. That is changing now for traders of CME products. The Chicago-based exchange has released the CME Reference Data API that contains detailed specifications on all available products including futures, spreads, strategies and options, making it possible for much of this information to be uploaded automatically.
CONTINUE READING -
A Year in Review: Timeline of 2018 M&A Transactions
FIA has compiled a list of 30 noteworthy transactions from 2018 related to derivatives markets in some way. Collectively, these deals reflect key trends in the global capital markets and indicate what kind of deals we might expect in the year to come.
CONTINUE READING -
-
Special report: CFTC Meeting Focuses on Clearinghouse Risks
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission held a public meeting of its Market Risk Advisory Committee on Dec. 4 in Washington, D.C. The MRAC discussed, among other issues, clearinghouse risk management, governance and clearing incentives, and explored the challenges of balancing the interests of clearinghouses, their members and end-users. Rostin Behnam, the CFTC Commissioner who oversees this committee, also announced the launch of a subcommittee on interest rate benchmark reform and released a list of the subcommittee members.
CONTINUE READING -
Market participants optimistic about the opening of Chinese derivatives markets
In 2018, China has taken great strides towards globalizing its derivatives markets. Yuan-denominated crude oil futures contracts began trading internationally in March, followed by iron ore contracts that began trading internationally in May. And most recently, the China Securities Regulatory Commission granted UBS Group permission for a majority stake in its Beijing-based subsidiary in December — making it the first foreign bank to formally control a Chinese securities firm.
CONTINUE READING -
BaFin: An Integrated Approach to Market Supervision
With the U.K. set to leave the European Union in March, Germany is becoming a more important center for financial institutions doing business in the EU. This raises the profile of BaFin, Germany’s main supervisor for the financial services sector. BaFin is responsible for the supervision of a wide range of financial services, including capital markets, banking institutions and insurance. Within the capital markets sector, this includes oversight of the two main derivatives clearinghouses in Germany, Eurex Clearing and European Commodity Clearing, as well as one central securities depository, Clearstream.
CONTINUE READING -
Fintech Innovators Offer New Products, New Solutions
FIA holds a showcase for fintech startups each year at the FIA Expo, its annual trade show in Chicago. The startups at the Innovators Pavilion are selected by an independent committee comprised of technology experts, venture capital investors and derivatives industry executives. To qualify, the startups must offer a technology solution that is both innovative and relevant for companies in the listed and cleared derivatives markets.
CONTINUE READING -
Deconstructing a Default
To some outside observers, it may seem like a distant memory that a member of Nasdaq’s Nordic clearinghouse defaulted in September. But the event remains fresh in the minds of many derivatives market participants, and a hot topic of conversation in the industry.
CONTINUE READING
