Derivs - Equity

Asset allocation notes, which offer investors varying exposure to a basket of different assets depending on market performance, are gaining favor in the U.S. Structurers say that the notes appeal to investors uncertain where to place their money in current market conditions.

Banco Santander is preparing to open a representative office in Shanghai as part of its Asian expansion.

Warrants are increasing proportionally to the cash equity business in Hong Kong.

The Taiwanese retail market for structured investments has been particularly hard hit by recent market turbulence, with bankers reporting that market activity has backed off by close to 90% since last year.

Barclays Capital is preparing to structure a range of investments linked to its newly-launched family of dividend swap indices.

Equity derivative traders are reporting a small uptick in Standard & Poor’s 500 variance swaps trading since volatility levels have come off from recent highs.

Equity-linked structured products—particularly those sold to the retail sector--will come under increased scrutiny by regulatory bodies, senior banking lawyers told an International Swaps and Derivatives Association forum today.

Two of JPMorgan’s London-based proprietary equity traders have left.

Arc Capital & Income has released its fourth Kick-Out plan, the first structured by Morgan Stanley.

A structured equity salesman has left Merrill Lynch's London office.

Life insurance companies are being touted as a relatively untapped buyer of equity-linked investments.

At least one law suit is reportedly being prepared in Hong Kong against private banks by a group of private investors, claiming that products have been missold.