Posts Tagged ‘Transparency’

Goldman Sachs criticized by financial crisis panel chief

Goldman Sachs has been singled out for criticism from Phil Angelides, the chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC).

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Angelides said that he was concerned at revelations uncovered by the public hearing that suggest Goldman Sachs had been “creating and selling securities and then fully betting against them”.

He added that recent allegations about Goldman Sachs’ behavior in relation to debt swaps carried out on behalf of the Greek government were also a worry for him.

“I find the practice troubling and it raises questions about fair dealing and trust and transparency in the marketplace,” he said.

The FCIC is set to begin hearing from further witnesses again today (February 26th 2010) after previously taking testimony from leading figures in the US banking sector.

Mr Angelides said that the commission may decide to recall witnesses such as Lloyd Blankfein from Goldman Sachs and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase as its enquiries continue.

Last month, Mr Blankfein told the inquiry that he believed the lessons of the financial crisis had been learned and such events would not occur again in his lifetime.

Revenue potential in OTC derivatives clearing, bank says

Morgan Stanley estimated that $1 billion in revenue is up for grabs as over-the-counter derivatives contracts start trading through central clearinghouses. “We expect significant levels of standardized OTC derivatives to be centrally cleared in two to three years, driven by changes in legislation and regulation, decreased tolerance for counterparty risk post-Lehman, increased demand for transparency, and reduction of systematic risk,” Morgan Stanley said.


Medical Capital and Provident Charges make Broker-Dealers Think Twice

The charges of fraud brought against Medical Capital Holdings Inc. and Provident Royalties LLC by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has helped bring about a shift in the securities industry. Broker-dealers who were once willing to offer Private Placement deals to their clients with abandon are now more willing to scrutinize such deals than before.

Click to continue reading

Paladyne Systems Partners with RiskMetrics Group to Provide Risk Reports to Hedge Funds

New York, NY – October 2009

Paladyne Systems, Inc., a leading provider of technology and services to the global hedge fund industry, today announced a strategic partnership with RiskMetrics Group, a leading provider of risk management and corporate governance services to the global financial
community, to provide intra-day, daily and monthly risk reports to hedge funds and service providers.

Click to continue reading

Goldman Sachs defends market practices in report to SEC

In a lengthy report to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Goldman Sachs Group defended high-frequency trading, dark pools, short-selling and other market strategies. “The investing community (especially retail) has benefited from the evolving market structure and industry competition,” Goldman said in the report. Lawmakers have criticized the practices and are looking into ways to increase their transparency.


Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund’s -12.6% first half 2009

Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund’s -12.6% return in the first half this year sharply lagged behind the S&P 500’s 3.19% for the same period. The second quarter was especially bad: The long-short equity fund returned -4.73%, versus the index’s 15.93%, according to performance data from eVestment Alliance LLC.

Click to continue reading

Record-Breaking August for ETFs

The August ETF numbers are in, and the industry continues to grow as new investors discover ETFs, old investors wade back into the markets and ETF providers continue to launch exciting new products.

Total assets in U.S.-listed exchange traded products surged to $678 billion, a 4% increase since previous highs in July.

Click to continue reading

CME : E-micro Forex Futures Are Building Liquidity Quickly

1/10 the standard contract size. Six Currency Pairs. Quoted in Interbank Terms.
This past March, CME Group launched six different E-micro Forex futures contracts. With the addition of these new products, the CME Group FX product suite consists of 49 futures and 32 options based on 20 currencies.

Click to continue reading

SEC to increase scrutiny of dark pools, Schapiro says

Mary Schapiro, chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, requested that her staff look closely at the effects of dark pools. “This lack of transparency has the potential to undermine public confidence in the equity markets, particularly if the volume of trading activity in dark pools increases substantially,” Schapiro said.


more at

Hedge Funds Expect Regulatory Hammer to Fall Within Six Months

Hedge funds are gearing up for a stricter regulatory environment, and examining the technology they will need to comply with any new requirements.

A recent panel discussion hosted by the global organization “100 Women in Hedge Funds” and vendor Linedata Services, focused on a need for funds to provide better transparency for regulators and investors.

New regulations are expected to include forcing hedge funds to register as advisors, and potentially to open their books and records to the SEC, said Annie Morris, managing director, Linedata Services.

The hedge fund community expects new regulations to be announced within the next six months, Morris added.

Meanwhile, the panel of 150 Boston-based hedge fund professionals heard that many hedge funds are now scrambling to adopt stronger electronic infrastructure.

“Some smaller funds don’t have large IT staff.

Click to continue reading

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Sponsors: