Bear Stearns has been building up its Tokyo-based business in recent months and plans to accelerate the effort on expectations of a strong year in Japan. "We expect 2005 to be even busier than last year," said Lenny Feder, senior managing director and branch manager in Tokyo, adding, "Japan is alive and well."
The firm recently brought aboard Yoichi Oyamada, senior structurer at HypoVereinsbank in Tokyo, who has joined as a managing director in the strategic finance group, which covers derivatives across asset classes. Additionally, Bear Stearns has hired Mina Namba, credit structurer at Calyon, Takeshi Tsubota, analyst at the Financial Technology Research Institute, Hajime Sawai, structurer at Commerzbank Securities, who have all joined as associate directors in the financial products group. Jeremy Bleackley, formerly with Simmons & Simmons, has also joined as an analyst for the asset-backed securities team.
Feder believes activity in the fixed income and equity derivatives markets will pick up in the coming months. "More companies are prospering and this should lead to increased capital raising needs," he continued. Bear Stearns will look to further boost its desk, hiring for both sales and trading roles in fixed income and equity groups. "We're planning to hire across the board," added Feder, noting that the firm will likely expand its Tokyo staff by 15-25%.
