Derivs - People and Markets

Wells Fargo Securities has agreed to acquire Merlin Securities, a prime brokerage services and technology provider.

NatWest International Personal Banking has introduced Equilibrium Issue 3, a 4-1/2-year, sterling-denominated fixed-rate structured deposit account.

Jones Lang LaSalle has named Frank Petz to head its capital market business in New England.

Craig James, a former director in equity derivative trading at Deutsche Bank in New York, has launched a hedge fund in Hong Kong.

Electronic interdealer trading tripled in the first quarter from a year ago, according to MarketAxess, which operates an electronic bond trading platform

IntercontinentalExchange has entered into an agreement with Cetip, a central depository for over-the-counter and private securities and derivatives, to develop a new fixed income trading platform to be offered by Cetip for Brazilian corporate and government bonds, with a launch expected in the second quarter.

iShares has expanded its fixed-income exchange-traded funds with the launch of the Baa-Ba Rated Corporate Bond Fund and B-Ca Rated Corporate Bond Fund.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has told NYSE Liffe to improve, among other things, its response time in reviewing and taking action relating to completed investigations referred to by the National Futures Association.

Kevin Kennedy, ceo of commercial brokerage Optionable, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud Bank of Montreal for misstating the value of the bank’s natural-gas derivatives portfolio.

Losses on derivatives have sent profits at tortilla maker Gruma to their lowest level in seven quarters.

Morgan Stanley has reissued its Best Entry Growth Plan 9, a structured product linked to the FTSE100.

UBS Investment Bank has launched the ETRACS DJ-UBS Commodity Index 2-4-6- Blended Futures ETN, the first exchange-trade note linked to the second generation of the DJ-UBS Commodity Index.