Derivs - Equity

Pierre Cox, a v.p in equity derivative sales at Barclays Capital in New York, joined RBC Capital Markets Monday in a new director of equity derivative sales slot.

An unnamed bank reportedly has been buying up short-dated vega in the form of option straddles on Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index, say equity brokers and traders who spotted it earlier this week.

John Sisterson, head of equity financing for Nomura in Asia, left the firm last week.

Harley Evans, manager of equity derivatives at Mako Financial Markets in New York, recommends hedge funds buy or sell VIX futures or options to offset movement in their over-the-counter variance swaps.

CIBC has hired Philip Lawson as an executive director focusing on fx, fixed income and derivative sales to institutional investors in its financial solutions group.

Maurice Nadjar-Primack, the former head of emerging market equity trading for Russia, Eastern Europe and South Africa at Merrill Lynch, joined Barclays Capital last week.

The Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. has been fielding requests for barrier options to be added to its derivative confirmation platform, Deriv/SERV.

Cenario Capital Management, a newly launched asset management firm, plans to use put and call spreads on exchange-traded funds, equity indices and a handful of large single stocks to manage client money.

Royal Bank of Scotland is looking to expand its U.S. structured products business after its merger with ABN Amro is complete in June.

Yannick Mallegol, managing director and head of equity derivative flow sales at Barclays Capital in London, has hired a pair of senior officials for his team and reportedly intends to add more.

Morgan Stanley is recommending hedge funds and other institutional investors buy three- to six-month variance on the Standard & Poor’s 500 and sell long-dated variance over two years.

Roger Cohen, the former head of Deutsche Bank’s index delta one desk, has set up a London advisory firm Portable Beta