Calyon last week hired Hyun Soo Shin, marketer at Good Morning Securities in Seoul, to boost its Hong Kong-based equity derivatives sales desk. "Korea is the only growing market this year on the retail structured products side," said Dickson Cheung, managing director and Asia ex-Japan head of equity derivatives marketing and sales at Calyon in Hong Kong. The current interest rate environment has caused a downturn in the wider regional retail market this year, he added. Hyun, who reports to Cheung, will focus on structured product distribution for both domestic banks and securities houses.
Separately, Calyon is shortly closing in Hong Kong a capital guaranteed fund which is linked to Asian real estate investment trusts, which will be sold via HSBC. The coupon is linked to dividends of the REITs, a feature Cheung said is a first ever.
