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EU to ban controversial China, India carbon credits trade
January 21, 2011-- Europe is to ban a highly lucrative trade in polluting rights obtained by European-based companies under a UN scheme to favour environmentally-friendly industrial investment in the likes of China or India.
The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, an international tool in the fight to tame global warming, gives firms from industrialised countries incentives to invest in greenhouse gas reduction projects in developing countries, traditionally huge polluters.
In return, these investments generate rights to emit gases which are said to trade at 78 times the cost of destroying by-product gases, but the European Union will remove them from its Emissions Trading System registries as of May 1, 2013, the European Commission said Friday.
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Source: EUbusiness
Emissions trading: Commission welcomes vote to ban certain industrial gas credits
January 21, 2011--The European Commission welcomes today's vote by Member States to ban from use in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) emission offset credits from certain projects which destroy industrial gases. Essentially, the ban means that companies will be able to use these credits for 2012 compliance under the EU ETS until 30 April 2013, but not thereafter.
Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, said: "I very much welcome the Committee's decision to back this Regulation, less than 5 months after I first proposed the idea. These projects raise concerns relating to their environmental integrity, value-for-money and geographical distribution. Not only are some of these credits of doubtful value, continuing to use them is also not in the EU's interest as doing so could discourage host countries from supporting cheaper and more direct action to cut these emissions. Our aim is not to reduce the number of credits available but to ensure the international carbon market is based on a better quality and distribution of credits."
The EU Climate Change Committee, which brings together representatives of the 27 Member States, voted for the ban today on the basis of a proposal tabled by the Commission last November (see MEMO/10/614).
The ban will apply to projects which destroy two industrial gases: trifluoromethane (HFC-23) produced as a by-product of chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) production, and nitrous oxide (N2O) from adipic acid production. HFC-23 and N2O are both powerful greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change.
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Source: Europa
FSA confirms professional standards for investment advisers from 2013
January 20, 2011--The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has today confirmed that, after extensive consultation, retail investment advisers will need to hold a Statement of Professional Standing (SPS) if they want to give independent or restricted advice after January 2013.
The statement will provide customers with evidence that the adviser subscribes to a code of ethics, is qualified, and has kept their knowledge up to date.
The SPS will be issued by FSA accredited bodies which satisfy the following criteria:
they act in the public interest and further the development of the profession;
they carry out effective verification services;
they have appropriate systems and controls in place and provide evidence to us of continuing effectiveness; and
they cooperate with the FSA on an ongoing basis.
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Source: FSA.gov.uk
Government announces new steps to strengthen financial discipline in the public sector
January 20, 2011--The Government has today published further details of a new Finance Transformation Programme which will make financial implications inherent to every decision taken in the public sector. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Justine Greening, set out the foundations for this programme at the Government Finance Profession’s annual training event, and these are published today in Managing Taxpayers’ Money Wisely.
Following commitments in the Programme for Government and the Spending Review Framework, as well as consultation with stakeholders, Managing Taxpayers’ Money Wisely sets out four key areas of focus for the Finance Transformation Programme:
effective leadership, driving performance from the top;
a cost conscious culture so that every decision is built on informed financial assessment;
professionalism so that all public servants demonstrate financial awareness;
expert central functions – ensuring a coherent approach to financial management from the centre of government.
view report-Managing taxpayers' money wisely
Source: HM Treasury
SIX Swiss Exchange And Liquidnet Enter Agreement To Provide A Platform For The Execution Of Large Block Trades In European Securities
January 20, 2011--SIX Swiss Exchange and Liquidnet, the institutional equities marketplace, announced today that they have signed an agreement by which SIX Swiss Exchange members and Liquidnet’s buy side market participants will be able to execute large block trades efficiently in both Swiss and other European equities.
The liquidity in Liquidnet’s exclusive liquidity pool will be available to SIX Swiss Exchange members and Liquidnet members will benefit from the additional liquidity provided by SIX Swiss Exchange members. SIX Swiss Exchange members will be able to use their existing front-end trading systems to trade in approximately 3600 international securities covering initially Switzerland, UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands. This offering is expected to go live in the second quarter of 2011.
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Source: SIX Swiss Exchange, Liquidnet
EU disarray makes it easy for carbon credits hackers
January 20, 2011-- Europe boasts that its control of polluting rights makes it a leading light in moves to save the planet, but patchwork national systems for trading carbon credits have simply left hackers licking their lips.
As of 7:00 pm on Wednesday (1800 GMT), the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which allows around 12,000 companies including huge multinationals to buy and sell rights to pump industrial gases into the atmosphere, now and in the future, has been shut down.
It won't re-open for a week after cyber criminals scuttled in and swiped two million "certificates" -- free polluting permits issued by national European Union governments that are currently worth some 14 euros each.
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Source: EUbusiness
Three new UBS ETFs launched on Xetra
January 19, 2011-- Since Wednesday three further ETFs issued by UBS ETFs plc have been tradable in Deutsche Börse’s XTF segment. They are based on the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index.
ETF name: UBS ETFs plc HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index SF (EUR) A-acc
Asset class: equity index ETF
ISIN: IE00B54DDP56
Total expense ratio: 2.00 percent
Distribution policy: non-distributing
Benchmark: HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index
Trading currency: euro
ETF name: UBS ETFs plc HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index SF (USD) A-acc
Asset class: equity index ETF
ISIN: IE00B53PTF40
Total expense ratio: 2.00 percent
Distribution policy: non-distributing
Benchmark: HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index
Trading currency: US dollar
ETF name: UBS ETFs plc HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index SF (USD) A-acc
Asset class: equity index ETF
ISIN: IE00B55LFL81
Total expense ratio: 1.50 percent
Distribution policy: non-distributing
Benchmark: HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index
Trading currency: US dollar
These three UBS ETFs enable investors to participate in the performance of the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index in the fund and trading currency euro and US dollar. The composition of the underlying index represents the entire hedge fund universe, comprising all available hedge fund strategies, including convertible arbitrage (exploiting differences in valuation between convertible bonds and equities), distressed securities (investing in companies in financial or operational difficulty) and equity hedge (simultaneously buying undervalued equities and selling overvalued equities). The different strategies are weighted to reflect the distribution of assets in the hedge fund sector. The UBS ETFs plc HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index SF – (USD) I-acc is aimed primarily at institutional investors.
The product offering in Deutsche Börse’s XTF segment currently contains a total of 763 exchange-listed index funds, making it the largest offering of all European stock exchanges. This selection, together with an average monthly trading volume of €13 billion, makes Xetra Europe’s leading trading venue for ETFs.
Source: Deutsche Börse
ETF Landscape: European STOXX 600 Sector ETF Net Flows for Week Ending 14-Jan-2011
January 19, 2011--For the week ending 14 January 2011, there were US$138.5 Mn net inflows to STOXX Europe 600 sector ETFs. The largest sector ETF net inflows last week were in oil and gas with US$79.5 Mn followed by food and beverage with US$53.0 Mn net inflows while automobiles and parts experienced net outflows of US$77.3 Mn.
Year to date, STOXX Europe 600 sector ETFs have seen US$168.5 Mn net inflows. Oil and gas has seen the largest net inflows with US$101.3 Mn, followed by banks with US$61.2 Mn net inflows while automobiles and parts experienced the largest net outflows with US$94.4 Mn.
As of 14 January 2011, there is US$10.0 Bn AUM invested in the STOXX sector ETFs which is more than double the US$4.3 Bn open interest in the sector futures. The ETF AUM is greater than the open interest in the corresponding futures contract in all 19 sectors.
to request report
Source: Global ETF Research & Implementation Strategy Team, BlackRock
Two new BBVA ETFs to start trading on the Spanish Stock Exchange tomorrow
January 19, 2011--The Spanish Stock Exchange will tomorrow start trading two new exchange traded funds (ETFs) issued by BBVA Asset Management: ACCIÓN IBEX 35 INVERSO ETF and BBVA IBOXX EURO SOVEREIGNS 3-5 AÑOS SHORT INDEX ETF.
These issues bring the number of ETFs listed on the Spanish stock exchange to 65, thus significantly increasing the number of strategy ETFs, that is, those whose underlying assets are short or leveraged indices.
The trading volume in 2010 totaled €5.96 billion, up 72% year on year and the total number of trades in ETFs during the same period reached 63,154, up 24.3% from 2009.
Source: BMEX
Financial services: additional legislative proposal to complete the framework for financial supervision in Europe
January 19, 2011--Following the launch of the three new European Supervisory Authorities on 1 January 2011 (MEMO/11/1), the Commission now proposes to make targeted changes to legislation in the area of insurance and securities regulation to ensure that the new Authorities can work effectively. In particular, the proposal sets out in detail the scope for the Authorities to exercise their powers, which include the possibility to develop draft technical standards and to settle disagreements between national supervisors. The proposed directive will now be sent to the Council and the European Parliament for consideration.
Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier said: "The financial crisis in Europe exposed weaknesses in the supervision of financial markets, which the new EU financial supervisory structure intends to correct. Today's proposal is an important building block to ensure that the new supervisory bodies will run smoothly. By giving the new supervisors a clearly defined mandate and bringing existing legislation in line with that mandate, the Commission further delivers on the promise of creating more solid and stable markets and mitigating future crises."
Today's proposal complements a package of legislative acts on financial supervision which were agreed on 22 September 2010 and which entered into force on 1 January 2011, creating a new architecture for supervision at European level with three new European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs). The ESAs, which replace the former European Committees for the banking, securities and insurance and occupational pensions sectors1, are the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). In cooperation and coordination with nationally-based supervisors, the ESAs are in place to ensure that rules are applied in a rigorous and consistent fashion throughout the European Union, to monitor developments within the financial system as well as to detect potential risks to financial stability.
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Source: Europa
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