Insight Investment, the asset management firm for the HBOS Group, with GBP64 billion (USD102.53 billion) under management, is planning to start purchasing credit derivatives. Abdallah Nauphal, managing director of fixed income and currencies in London and the head of a team that manages GBP40 billion across institutional and retail funds, said the firm would likely start using the products for hedging credit exposure in the next 12 months. "Maybe we should do a customer visit," said a dealer at a large credit derivatives house in London.
The asset manager has been speaking with derivatives houses about the instruments and is looking at how to put systems in place to purchase credit derivatives. Nauphal said the firm has also been speaking to clients to make sure they are comfortable with Insight using the instruments. "[Entering the CDS market] requires a lot of preparation," he added. Nauphal declined to disclose the firms with which the firm has been speaking.
Nauphal said Insight would likely use credit derivatives within a variety of funds. He would not comment on the notional size of likely trades, saying it was too early to discuss those details. He would also not be more specific on which funds would use the instruments.
