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HSBC has hired Michael Mancini, credit derivatives sales staffer at TD Securities in New York, in a similar role.

Julian Jacobsen, an emerging markets fund manager at Fabien Pictet & Partners in London, recently sold at-the-money options to gain exposure to emerging market volatility.

Increased fears of terror attacks after the hostage killings in Saudi Arabia has led market players to purchase options on the U.S. dollar and Swiss franc currency pair, traditionally seen as a 'safe haven'.

A favorable move in the sterling interest rate swap curve helped U.K. utility ScottishPower seal a GBP317 million (USD582 million) acquisition of a power plant in England.

Members of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association have raised concerns about the growth rate of the Japanese credit derivatives market and the trade association has decided to measure it to find out what can be done.

Merrill Lynch has boosted its marketing presence for Asian equities with a hiring spree in recent weeks, as first reported last week on DW's Web site.

Mizuho Securities plans to offer equity-default swaps and callable credit-default swaps in the coming months.

The Modigliani and Miller (M&M) theorem on capital structure is among the most important contributions to the theory of corporate finance.

Magellan Midstream Partners, a U.S.-based petroleum producer, has entered interest-rate swaps to convert fixed debt into synthetic floating-rate liabilities following a recent debt refinancing.

The Royal Bank of Scotland is setting up a trading book for South Africa, considering a similar move for Eastern Europe and planning to double its single-stock options trading team as part of its firm-wide expansion into investment banking.

TD Securities has hired Phoebus Theologites, managing director in derivatives trading and structuring at CDC IXIS Capital Markets in London, and David Beever, managing director at Astin Capital Management and previously head of equity volatility trading at Barclays Capital in London, as global head of structuring and European head of liquid equity derivatives trading, respectively.

--Hilary Till, principal at Premia Capital Management, a commodity futures trading firm, disagreeing that hedge funds are increasing volatility in the commodities markets.