Derivs - Equity

Rabobank plans to offer structured notes to retail and institutional investors that will track two new food and agribusiness equity-linked indices that focus on companies associated with the industry

U.K. financial services house Legal & General has tapped HSBC to hedge its latest capital protected plan, which is linked to the FTSE 100 and offers 120% of growth in the index at maturity.

Louis Capital Markets has started brokering equity over-the-counter products this week.

ABN AMRO and the Royal Bank of Scotland have merged their Asian fund derivatives businesses.

U.K. investment house Meteor Asset Management is pitching its second property-linked plan, structured by Lehman Brothers, as it looks to ride turmoil in the real estate market.

Trades that reference both credit and equity are becoming popular as investors scour for the cheapest way to play downtrodden companies.

HSBC is looking at ways to offer capital protected notes that reference a series of Middle East indices it launched this week.

Investors are being warned the traditional equity market summer lull will be disrupted by equity market spikes and are being advised to go long volatility.

Isle of Man-based investment shop Britannia International is pitching a FTSE 100-linked bond issue structured by Banco Santander.

Investors are skirting broad directional positions on equity markets amid expectations volatility will remain elevated and are instead plumping for more market-neutral strategies.

Louis Capital Markets is recommending shorting strategies, including puts, on equity and commodities in China to capitalize on adverse effects of the Olympics that may have been overlooked.

The final version of a new set of principles for the structured product industry is due to be released early next week.