Derivs - Equity

UniCredit has announced several changes to senior management in its markets business, with the retirement of corporate treasury sales boss and deputy head of markets Kevin Krespi.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued an order of registration for Intercontinental Exchange's ICE Endex exchange, allowing participation by US based investors.

The Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX), which enjoyed a 72% growth in trade volume last year, is set to add futures on 24 stocks.

IHS Markit has unveiled a solution aimed at helping market participants meet withholding tax obligations on US equity derivatives arising from the newly imposed section 871(m) rule.

Eurex will introduce CFTC-certified options on its VStoxx futures contract as it aims to increase US participation in the product.

The plans of London Stock Exchange Group and Deutsche Börse to pursue a merger of equals received a boost this week, as rival exchange Euronext agreed terms with the LSEG to buy its Paris clearing house business LCH SA in an all cash offer.

In 2016, blockchain went from a buzzword to a ‘must have’ in financial markets, as seemingly every bank and exchange invested in projects and proofs-of-concept. But with so many asset classes having been promised big gains, 2017 begins with a dose of realism about the limits of the technology — and the challenges it poses for regulators. Dan Alderson reports.

The upending of global financial markets in the second half of 2016, driven by shocks from the UK’s Brexit vote and US presidential election, has caused a breakdown in previously dominant cross-asset correlations and a sharp resizing of event risk in 2017. Dan Alderson reports on a wave of structured product innovation aimed at navigating this new and more volatile universe.

The European Securities and Markets Authority wants more convergence between central counterparties on how they comply with margin and collateral requirements.

Eurex, the derivatives exchange of Deutsche Börse, has hired Lee Bartholomew and Zubin Ramdarshan to work on research and development for new derivatives products.

The US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has fined Igor Oystacher and 3Red Trading $2.5m for spoofing, but did not impose a jail sentence or market ban.

The International Organization of Securities Commisions, IOSCO, has identified various risks in how complex over-the-counter leveraged products are sold to retail investors.