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NASDAQ OMX To Launch Nordic Fund Market
April 14, 2010--NASDAQ OMX announces that it will launch a new Nordic fund market aimed at investment fund distributors. The Nordic Fund Market (NFM) intends to provide an electronic alternative to manage the transactions between fund distributors and fund management companies. Today these transactions are predominately handled manually via fax. NFM will launch in Sweden at the end of April this year with the goal to eventually roll out the offering in all Nordic countries.
Erik Thedéen, President at NASDAQ OMX Stockholm said, "As the number of fund transactions continues to grow there should also be an infrastructure in place that can accommodate this increase in demand. Through NFM we are offering an electronic platform that will raise the general security in the system and enable efficiency and transparency advantages that will benefit the entire fund industry."
The Swedish fund market has experienced significant growth during the last decades, with over 1.600 billion SEK in AUM (Assets Under Management) in 2009 and more than 4000 funds registered. Funds from Fidelity International, one of the world's leading fund companies, will be available on the new platform from start.
Asgeir Thordarson, Head of Fidelity's business in the Nordic Region commented, "We believe that initiatives to automate fund transactions are positive for the whole industry and that these efficiency gains will benefit all parties, including the end investor."
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Source: NASDAQ OMX
Introduction Of The FTSE MIB Dividend Futures On The IDEM, The Derivatives Market Of Borsa Italiana
April 14, 2010--Starting from Monday, 19 April 2010, the futures on the FTSE MIB Dividend index will be listed on the IDEM, the Derivatives Market of Borsa Italiana.
The futures contract on the FTSE MIB Dividend index (FDIV) allows traders to take positions on the basis of their dividends expectations without being exposed to price movements in the FTSE MIB stocks determined by other factors, or to hedge positions taken on the FTSE MIB index from the effects of the dividends distributed by the issuers.
Accordingly, the value of the futures contract incorporates all the expectations for the distribution of dividends made during the year by the companies making up the FTSE MIB index. As companies pay their dividends, the expectations incorporated in the futures price refer only to the distributions made by the remaining companies.
Liquidity on the new product will be supported by a dedicated market making scheme with obligations on all listed expiries and on a continuous basis.
Nicolas Bertrand - Head of Equity Markets and IDEM of London Stock Exchange Group – said “the launch of these new futures contracts will allow traders to hedge their position against dividend risk on the Italian market. FTSE MIB Dividend Futures are complementing the range of products available on IDEM, giving traders further opportunities to structure trading strategies on the basis of their dividend expectations. We are also very pleased to welcome BNP Paribas and Société Générale as market makers on the new contract; this will allow the new contracts to develop thanks to enhanced liquidity provided on a continuous basis”.
Mark Makepeace - CEO, FTSE Group - commented that “the new FTSE MIB Dividend index futures will be useful to both local and international investors and will help to promote further investment in the Italian market place.”
Source: Borsa Italiana
New issuer lists exchange traded funds (ETFs) on SIX Swiss Exchange
April 13, 2010--SIX Swiss Exchange is pleased to welcome Amundi Investment Solutions as a new issuer in the exchange traded funds segment. Ten new products have been
listed, bringing the total number of ETFs in the segment to 331. They are:
Equity underlyings
AMUNDI ETF DOW JONES EURO STOXX 50
AMUNDI ETF DOW JONES STOXX 600
AMUNDI ETF EURO CORPORATES
AMUNDI ETF GOVT BOND EUROMTS BROAD
AMUNDI ETF LEVERAGED DOW JONES EURO STOXX 50
AMUNDI ETF LEVERAGED MSCI EUROPE DAILY
AMUNDI ETF MSCI EUROPE
AMUNDI ETF MSCI EUROPE EX SWITZERLAND
AMUNDI ETF SHORT DOW JONES EURO STOXX 50
AMUNDI ETF MSCI BRAZIL
Bond underlyings
AMUNDI ETF EURO CORPORATES
AMUNDI ETF GOVT BOND EUROMTS BROAD
Crédit Agricole Cheuvreux will be acting as market maker for all ETFs on equity
underlyings. For all ETFs on bond underlyings, Société Générale will be acting
as market maker.
Source: SIX Swiss Exchange
London Stock Exchange celebrates ten years of ETF trading
April 13, 2010--The London Stock Exchange is today celebrating ten years since the first Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) was admitted to its markets.
A decade after iShares launched its product tracking the FTSE 100 index, there are now over 240 ETF products available for trading on the Exchange, from nine separate issuers.
Trading activity in ETFs has seen constant year-on-year growth. There has been an average annual growth rate of 69 per cent in the value of ETFs traded, and an average annual growth rate of 100 per cent in the total number of trades.
The range of products available has diversified to include ETFs which track indices based on companies in emerging economies, cleantech and carbon neutral firms and businesses which are Shariah compliant.
To mark the occasion, the Exchange is today welcoming ETF industry specialists to a series of presentations, panel discussions and seminars at its Paternoster Square headquarters.
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Source: London Stock Exchange
Oslo Børs: New Trading System For Equities And Fixed Income Instruments
April 13, 2010--After a successful launch 12 April, Oslo Børs has now started to use the TradElect trading system for equities and fixed income securities together with the Infolect system for market data. The new trading system will make trading on Oslo Børs even more efficient, and will help to strengthen the Norwegian securities market, improve the profile of listed companies and increase the exchange’s competitiveness.
“An important element of our strategic partnership with the London Stock Exchange Group is using the same trading systems as the London Stock Exchange. Collaborating on technology strengthens our international distribution network, and helps to generate even greater interest in the Norwegian market”, explains Bente A. Landsnes, President and CEO of Oslo Børs.
"We are delighted that Oslo Børs' migration has been successfully completed. Our strategic partnership with Oslo is an important relationship for the Exchange and we are pleased to be able support Oslo Børs in its ongoing development of a more efficient and liquid Scandinavian marketplace.", says Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive of London Stock Exchange Group.
The strategic partnership between the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Oslo Børs was announced in March 2009. In December 2009, both Oslo Børs and LSEG’s subsidiary EDX London implemented the SOLA trading system for derivatives. Now that TradElect and Infolect are in production, all trading carried out on the marketplaces operated by Oslo Børs uses technology supplied by LSEG. Oslo Børs is an international marketplace, and foreign investors account for a large proportion of daily trading. More than half the exchange’s members are foreign investment firms, and a large proportion of these are based in London. TradElect has been in use for trading on the London Stock Exchange for several years, so many of the Oslo Børs member firms are already familiar with this system.
“The London Stock Exchange has over 400 members, and we believe that Oslo Børs will now be able to attract even more investment firms as members and so increase both distribution and liquidity for our marketplaces”, adds Bente A. Landsnes.
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Source: Oslo Bors
CESR Begins Overhauling MiFID By Consulting On Policy Options
April 13, 2010--CESR publishes today three consultation papers on its technical advice to the Commission. The papers are to be seen in the context of reviewing MiFID, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive that entered into force in November 2007. The review includes proposed technical advice by CESR on investor protection and intermediaries (Ref. CESR/10-417), equity markets (Ref. CESR/10-394) and transaction reporting (Ref. CESR/10-292). CESR invites stakeholders to comment on all of the three consultation papers by 31 May 2010.
Since MiFID’s entry into force, European financial markets have undergone a fundamental restructuring. For instance, markets have seen greater competition and more pan-European trading, the emergence of dark pools, consolidation between exchanges, improvements in trading technology as well as other innovations, such as smart order routing, algorithmic trading and new clearing arrangements. In its three consultation papers, CESR addresses areas of the MiFID legal framework where it has identified a need for improvement, including quality, cost and consolidation of post-trade transparency data and delays in the publication of such data. Furthermore, with the global financial crisis in the background, regulators have seen a need to focus more on selling practices for certain financial instruments, in order to further improve the protection of investors, in particular retail investors.
CESR Technical Advice to the European Commission in the Context of the MiFID Review - Equity Markets
View the CESR Technical Advice to the European Commission in the context of the MiFID Review – Transaction Reporting
Source: CESR
New IBEX 35® indices to be disseminated from 22 april
From 22 April, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) will begin to calculate and disseminate, in real time, the following indices: IBEX 35® NET RETURN, IBEX 35® DOUBLE SHORT, IBEX 35® TRIPLE SHORT, IBEX 35® DOUBLE LEVERAGE and IBEX 35® TRIPLE LEVERAGE.
April 13, 2010--The IBEX 35® NET RETURN index incorporates fluctuations in the price of the index constituents as well as the return, net of tax withholdings, resulting from dividend payments and other shareholder remuneration.
The index therefore shows the impact that the net amount of this type of remuneration has on a portfolio that tracks the IBEX35® index.
The IBEX 35® DOUBLE SHORT and IBEX 35® TRIPLE SHORT indices double and triple, respectively, daily fluctuations in the IBEX 35® TOTAL RETURN index in the opposite direction, i.e. if the return on the IBEX 35® TOTAL RETURN index in a single session is negative, the return on the IBEX 35® DOUBLE SHORT and IBEX 35® TRIPLE SHORT indices in that session will be positive by double and triple the amount, respectively.
The IBEX 35® DOUBLE LEVERAGE and IBEX 35® TRIPLE LEVERAGE indices offer double and triple exposure to the daily return on the IBEX35® index, through the investment of initial capital plus an equivalent amount of borrowed capital. A positive daily return on the IBEX35® index also yields a positive return, but double or triple that amount for the IBEX 35® DOUBLE LEVERAGE and IBEX 35® TRIPLE LEVERAGE indices, respectively, and vice versa. The index calculation includes the financing cost at a risk-free rate.
These new indices are intended to serve as underlying assets for financial products, such as certificates or Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). BME has started a proposal selection process in order to grant index user licenses for ETFs. These new indices provide investors with a broad range of investment strategies.
Source: BME
Greece sells 1.56 bln euros in Treasury bills
April 13, 2010--Debt-ridden Greece raised 1.56 billion euros in a heavily oversubscribed auction for 26- and 52-week treasury bills Tuesday, in a successful first attempt to borrow since details were announced of a eurozone and International Monetary Fund rescue package over the weekend.
But although investors flocked to buy the issues, the interest rate was punishingly high compared to Greece’s previous short-term debt auction. Greece’s government has said it can’t go on paying high market interest rates as it seeks to roll over debt and avoid default. It is hoping the eurozone rescue package -- which it could tap as a last resort -- will restore market confidence and eventually drive rates down. Athens’ debt crisis has undermined the euro currency and raised fears of a wider government debt crisis affecting other financially troubled governments such as Portugal and Spain.
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Source: Todays Zaman
Clearstream Organizes First Global Securities Financing Conference in Asia
April 13, 2010--Clearstream, the international central securities depository within Deutsche Boerse Group, is holding its first Global Securities Financing (GSF) conference Asia, in Singapore on April 22.
The keynote speaker will be Ng Nam Sin, Assistant Managing Director, Development Group, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
The conference is expected to attract fixed income and equities repo (repurchase agreement) dealers, collateral traders, securities lenders and borrowers, treasury managers and money market professionals from central banks, commercial banks and financial institutions.
For Stefan Lepp, Head of GSF services at Clearstream who will chair the meeting, “this first GSF conference Asia will allow participants to discuss the current market conditions and the future trends in the region. It will also serve to present the global liquidity and risk management solutions which Clearstream is bringing to the Asian markets and it illustrates Clearstream’s commitment towards the APAC region. After establishing a full branch in Singapore last November and extending settlement to 21 hours /24, Clearstream is now pleased to bring its GSF expertise and staff to Asia to support the development of a secured local and cross continental market."
The financial crisis and the subsequent freeze on money markets have shed light on securities financing mechanisms which provide much of the liquidity to the world’s capital market. They involve, among others, the temporary exchange of securities, usually for other securities or for cash of an equivalent value (the collateral) with an obligation to redeliver a like quantity of the same securities at a future date.
Clearstream offers a wide range of collateral management services together with a suite of securities lending products under the name of Global Securities Financing (GSF) services. In 2009, GSF services monthly average outstanding broke the €500 billion mark illustrating the growing importance of secured financing
Source: Clearstream
Pension schemes turn small surplus If you are looking for a particuliar article and can not find it, please feel free to contact us for assistace.
April 13, 2010--UK private sector pension schemes saw their fortunes improve over the month of March, with the aggregate funding position of all schemes moving to show a small surplus for the first time since June 2008, according to the latest figures from the Pension Protection Fund, the insurance fund for underfunded schemes of insolvent employers.
The PPF's 7800 Index - which tracks the assets of schemes relative to the liabilities that are insured by the fund - showed that overall, schemes are running a surplus of £300m.
Source: FT.com
