Derivs - Equity

Standard Chartered has placed its first structured product written against a proprietary index in mainland China, with other in-house indices tipped for the near future.

Wells Fargo has requested that the European Securities and Markets Authority enables third country branches to choose which regulation transactions should be subject to when entering derivative contracts between local branches of third country entities.

The Eurostoxx Banks Index (SX7E) is seeing increased options flow as U.S. investors either hedge or enter into call strategies as ways to increase exposure to the banking sector in the region.

Only a few financial firms that have signed up to the Hong Kong Trade Repository are submitting trade data, with the rest of the counterparties waiting until December when mandatory interim reporting is enforced.

Investors should buy an Oct. 2013 11000/11800/12600 call fly on the HSCEI as a cheap way to play upside on the index in anticipation of a further rally.

Investors are considering customized equity growth structured products on baskets of specific emerging market exchange-traded funds and European listed single stocks with exposure to emerging markets.

Lloyd Michaels, head of delta one sales for Asia at Société Générale in Hong Kong, has relocated to London after being promoted to a new role.

BNP Paribas has made additions to its equity derivatives sales and trading team in New York.

Ed Steel, managing director and global head of equity derivatives trading at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong, has relocated to the firm’s London office.

Interest in best-of bonus structured products—a relatively new and novel payoff in Switzerland—is growing among investors.

Pricing bilaterally traded over-the-counter derivative contracts that are entered into following the enforcement of the frontloading obligation under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation could result in market dislocation, according to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association and the British Bankers’ Association.

Nomura is reportedly set to hire Todd Sandoz, the ex-head of global fx and short-term interest rate trading at Credit Suisse in London, as global head of equities.