Natasha de Teran looks inside the world of alternative investment managed account platforms and finds out who’s new, who’s top and why?

With related earnings soaring, the equity derivatives business has become one of the hottest areas to work in, writes Natasha de Teran.

To meet the demands of hedge funds for over-the-counter instruments, a new and hugely lucrative prime brokerage service has emerged. Natasha de Teran examines OTC intermediation.

Carbon emissions trading may not seem an obvious market for banks to tap, but growing numbers are doing so. And, far from being a ‘fad’, emissions trading appears to fit well into banks’ wider businesses.

Variance and volatility swaps have been among products to capture the minds of sophisticated derivatives players in recent years. Now bankers, index providers and their exchange counterparts are seeking to create standardised, simpler versions of the instruments to widen their uptake. 

European lending institutions are increasingly using securitisation and the covered bond market in tandem as a means of reaping the advantages of the different tools. Natasha de Teran explains.

Together with a growing band of property sector professionals, bankers are working to kick-start the fledgling property derivatives market. Natasha de Teran explores the market’s current development and its future potential.

Many believe that property-linked instruments are poised to become the next big thing in the derivatives market – but they are not sure when. In the first of two articles, The Banker looks at how the market is likely to evolve.Natasha de Teran reports.
Concerns about overheating in the UK property market have been as widespread over the past few years as they ever have been, with many fearing the worst from the record rise in asset prices.

Credit derivatives were supposed to redistribute banks’ credit risk but how much of that risk has been transferred outside the banking sector is unknown. Does it matter? 

As pension assets drop and future liabilities rise, traditionally conservative pension funds are turning to complex derivatives-based products. This offers a well-timed opportunity for investment banks that have the right skills.