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Like credit-default swaps, equity-default swaps are bilateral contracts.

Deutsche Bank has bolstered its Asian equity derivatives business with a senior transfer: Colin Fan, global head of convertibles trading and co-head of structured credit trading in New York, has landed in Hong Kong as head of Asian equities.

Leveraged super-senior CDO tranches, popular since the spring, are losing favor, replaced in recent weeks by growing interest in equity tranches across all maturities.

An estimated USD40billion in notional was traded on the iTraxx credit-default swap indices when they rolled last month, said dealers at last week's Strategic Legal, Regulatory And Business Guide To Credit Derivatives And CDOs conference in London.

IXIS Corporate & Investment Bank has tapped managing director Michael Neumayer, previously responsible for sales to Germany, Austria and Switzerland in Frankfurt, for a new role as head of equity derivative sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Goldman Sachs has beefed up its China market-access derivatives business by jump starting onshore trading with joint-venture Gao Hua Securities, according to market insiders.

Signs the European Central Bank may be shifting its bias toward rate hikes sent speculative accounts rushing to buy euro upside calls last week.

Credit dealers in Asia are discussing assembling a high-yield credit derivatives sub-index, which could potentially be launched next year.

David Bizer, co-head of European equity sales at Lehman Brothers in London, is transferring to New York in December.

Morgan Stanley has arranged a synthetic collateralized debt obligation on the back of a EUR300 million (USD358 million) portfolio of European mezzanine asset-backed securities.

Market players keen to stimulate the budding U.K. property derivatives market last week staged a mock trading day to gauge potential liquidity and pricing of swaps between different property market sectors.