Prominent derivative houses in Asia, including JPMorgan, Credit Suisse First Boston and UBS Warburg have implemented drastic measures to safeguard their staff against the deadly SARS virus. "Our firm has instituted an internal quarantine procedure for folks coming in from the SARS high-risk regions," said one trader at JPMorgan, noting that staff traveling in afflicted regions are required to stay away from the office for one week and that business travel to visit clients in the region has been discouraged. CSFB recently split its Hong Kong equity derivatives desk, moving some of the staffers to Sydney. UBS has also quarantined traveling staff.
In addition, market participants said attendance for the International Swaps and Derivatives Association's annual general meeting was also down, which was partly attributable to concerns over the virus. ISDA officials said turnout was around 475 attendees in comparison to over 700 when it was held in Berlin last year.
