Viewpoint
Insights and opinions from key FIA staff
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Viewpoint – Trends to watch in APAC derivatives markets
It's impossible to sum up everything that’s going on across Asia, but a short list of hot trends that are most important in the region right now include the rise of global benchmarks in the region, the dominance of China commodities exchanges and the exponential growth of India.
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Viewpoint - Disincentivizing clearing: It’s déjà vu all over again
In the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure, U.S. regulators announced in July a proposal that raise the amount of capital required for the clearing of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives. This is a dangerous move that disincentivizes hedging among businesses, runs counter to reforms aimed at preventing government bailouts, and increases costs for consumers and businesses.
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Viewpoint - Top issues driving FIA's work in the second half of 2023
There will always be new disruptions and innovations in derivatives markets. It's important to reflect on the past, however, to remind ourselves of the core values that drive us forward as well as the areas where we can improve.
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Viewpoint – Why "price discovery" matters to everyone
There are many things that have changed about global derivatives trading over the decades, from the way our markets work to the products that are listed. But one thing that will never change is the critical importance of price discovery, writes FIA President and CEO Walt Lukken.
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Viewpoint - What farmers and airlines can teach us about risk management
In the wake of the SVB collapse, some believe more regulation is the answer. But a better topic of debate should be how to develop a culture of risk management at organizations that stretches from the boardroom to the mailroom, and protects businesses against shocks and disruptions.
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Viewpoint – Boca highlights resilience, risk-management and technology
Last week’s FIA Boca conference was a resounding success on many levels. A few key themes worth highlighting from this flagship event are the resilience, risk-management and technology potential of our markets.
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Viewpoint – The 'rise in retail' is here to stay in derivatives markets
There has been a lot of attention the last few years on the rise of retail trading. The meme stock craze highlighted the power of this community to express a forceful point of view in the markets. Retail participants, especially Gen Z, are the driving force behind cryptocurrencies and their promise. Even the futures markets have shown an increase in retail participation, especially in micro-sized contracts. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission estimates that retail trading volume in futures contracts on US exchange now averages about 50% higher than during the pre-pandemic period.
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Viewpoint – Issues to watch in global derivatives markets
Global cleared derivative markets are made up of a wide variety of participants, from different geographies and different business disciplines. But surprisingly, many of my conversations to start 2023 have focused on a few key priorities.
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Viewpoint - Lessons from the Year of Crypto
FTX's unlawful use of customer money should not completely overshadow the groundbreaking ideas it was proposing to disrupt finance. Direct access to exchanges, auto-liquidation, real-time margining—these ideas are not going away. Whether we like it or not, these new approaches to market structure will continue to challenge our way of doing business.
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Viewpoint – Responding to the European energy crisis, as a community
As we enter the colder months at the end of the year, natural gas prices around the world remain incredibly volatile after hitting record highs recently. This is particularly the case in Europe, where I recently visited policymakers in Brussels and Paris with FIA board members. In our conversations, the energy crisis crowded out every other issue on our agenda – and with good reason.
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