Derivs - People and Markets

Ramon Braga, a former corporate-credit trader in London at UBS, has filed a lawsuit against the investment bank, claiming his dismissal for alleged collusion with proprietary trader Denis Minayev in manipulating credit default swaps was unjustified.

Investec Structured Products has launched the Objective Returns Fund, its first UCITS fund, with its first sub-fund, the FTSE Enhanced Kick-Out Series 1.

JPMorgan Chase is aiming to expand its prime brokerage business to Asia based on its European model.

Markit has launched Markit Credit Factors, a new data service the firm said will provide customers with the first sentiment signals for credit default swaps produced by an independent financial information firm.

Cantor Fitzgerald has strengthened its global equities and fixed income teams with several hires, including Diego Baez as managing director of Latin American equities and Francisco Romero as managing director in the debt capital markets' emerging markets division.

Deutsche Bank has added to its North America equities business with the hiring of managing director Joseph Spinelli as head of North America ash equity trading, Brad Kurtzman as head of quantitative trading, and Jeff Christian and Jonathan Simon for equity derivatives sales.

Schroders has expanded its fixed-income team with the hiring of Alix Stewart and Konstantin Leidman.

Tradition-ICAP has hired Tim Johnson, former head of business development for Asia-Pacific at Surfacexchange, in the same role role.

BTG Pactual has hired Philippe Mathieu, an ex-equity trader at Nomura, as a portfolio manager in London.

Cyril Brudy has been promoted internally to head of money market derivatives at Deutsche Bank in Singapore.

JPMorgan Chase has announced that Ina Drew has announced she will retire as cio and head of its Chief Investment Office and will be succeeded by Matt Zames, currently co-head of global fixed income and head of capital markets in its mortgage bank.

BNP Paribas has hired Andrew Tyler as a v.p. in equity derivative sales focusing on hedge funds in New York starting May 14.