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The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has decided to reject a proposal that would require large foreign subsidiaries of Australian authorised deposit-taking institutions and Australian financial services licence holders to report their over-the-counter transactions to data repositories.

Investors are buying volatility on the dollar against the Swiss franc by shorting straddles on the euro versus the dollar.

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association is proposing a Standard Initial Margin Model process for multi-asset swap transactions to reduce initial margin and to promote transparency via risk-based modelling for market participants.

Substantially high volumes of speculative contracts on the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index and a downsizing of short-term risk positions, predominantly by hedge funds, is displaying increased levels of risk aversion in the equity derivatives market. This comes on the back of volatility stemming from oil and currency markets which has spilled into equity options pricing, according to strategists at Société Générale.

One of the simplest and most familiar options strategies has struggled in recent years, but in the near-term may be one of the best since the financial crisis.

Graham Sadler, chief financial officer at BGC Partners in London is retiring and will depart the interdealer broker once a successor is found.

Investors are increasingly turning their attention to hybrid derivatives in the hunt for yield as single asset class products, particularly in interest rates, fail to produce good enough returns. As a result, market participants are combining FX options with either interest rate or credit instruments.

Lawrence Wong, head of listings at the Singapore Exchange, has been appointed as head of the firm’s China business.

Market participants, particularly euro buyers, have been entering into long-dated hedges on the euro against the Swiss franc following the Swiss National Bank’s shock decision to abandon the Sfr1.20 floor to the euro last month.

Hedge funds and asset managers have been using increasingly complex derivatives strategies to play the trend of a stronger dollar as a means to achieve lower upfront premiums, according to structurers.

Overall interest rate derivatives trading that was reported to swap data repositories last week increased by 59% from the previous week, according to data from the International Swaps and Derivatives Association.

BGC Partners has launched an electronic trading platform for yen interest rate swaps, making it the first interdealer broker to launch a fully electronic platform for such a market.