Derivs - Equity

China’s Treasury Markets Association has debuted the New Professional Qualification Framework, a three-level examinations system to test the competency of professionals in a wide range of financial instruments, including fx, over-the-counter derivatives, credit derivatives and other structured products.

Listed derivatives trading activity rose 9.8% in the first half of 2011, while trading in equities fell 1% during the same period, according to the World Federation of Exchanges.

Ever since the emergence of the variance swap in the 1990’s, volatility has become an asset class in itself. Investment banks developed various innovations throughout 2005 - 2008 to tailor the volatility exposure until the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.

Concerns surrounding extraterritoriality in forthcoming European and U.S. regulation in the derivatives market were the focus of conversation between market officials and Asian regulators at the International Swaps and Derivatives Association Asia Pacific Regulators Workshop in Hong Kong today.

The Australian authorities are looking to clear up uncertainty surrounding close-out netting with flailing domestic financial institutions and insurers.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore will mandate the central clearing of standardized derivatives, but has yet to determine how, and to what extent it will do so, Ravi Menon, managing director of the MAS said at the regulator’s annual report conference today.

Credit Suisse has sold over USD26 million in structured notes linked to the Euro STOXX 50 Index, the Topix Index, and the FTSE 100 Index through JPMorgan’s private banking arm, likely to high-net worth investors, said an official in the structured products group at JPMorgan’s investment bank in New York.

Not all derivatives on all days are suited to electronic trading, according to interdealer brokers.

Uwe Becker, head of investor solutions for Europe at Barclays Capital in Frankfurt, has left the firm.

BNP Paribas is pitching three separate over-the-counter strategies for playing a decline in the U.S. housing market.

Lion Global Investors has launched two new funds in Singapore, the LGlobal Asia High Yield Bond Fund and the LGlobal Asia Local Currency Bond.

Credit Suisse has reorganized its Asia Pacific global market solutions group, promoting Carl Bautista, Mervyn Chow, and George Pavey to become the three co-heads of the group, according to a memo from the firm.