Top Headlines
Sterling Struggles Near Four-Month Low Ahead of BoE Decision Next Week – Reuters
Sterling slipped back towards its lowest level since January as the dollar firmed and traders sold the pound after a week of poor economic data and Brexit worries, which are likely to persuade the central bank to keep rates on hold next week.
Sturdy Dollar Racks Up Third Week of Gains Before Jobs Data – Reuters
The dollar consolidated above the 92.50 line against a basket of its rivals, rounding off a third week of solid gains as widening interest rate differentials supported the greenback.
As Currencies Weaken, Asia’s Original Sinners Go for Classic Defence – Reuters
To deal with a familiar combination of falling currencies and uncertainty about economic growth, Asian central banks are reverting to their classic policy playbook.
Falling Mexican Peso Reflects Prospect of Amlo Winning Election – Financial Times (subscription)
Currency has lost more than 5% after touching seven-month high in mid-April.
Liquidity Ousts Leverage as the Big Market Worry – Financial Times (subscription)
Some say banks’ retreat from their role as market makers will amplify the next crisis.
Goldman Sachs’ London Staff Are Three Times More Profitable Than the Rest – eFinancial Careers
Who said Brexit doesn’t matter?
Bitcoin Bulls Celebrate Goldman, Square News – But Should They? – Bloomberg
The cryptocurrency rose toward a two-month high amid optimism sparked by news that Goldman Sachs is moving forward with Bitcoin trading operations.
- Four Reasons Cryptocurrency Still Hasn’t Gone Mainstream – CNBC
- Mount Joins Cryptoalgo’s Advisory Board – Profit & Loss
- The Cold, Hard Facts of Bitcoin Mining – Euromoney
Coinbase is doing something completely new in the world of crypto: it’s going on an M&A shopping spree.
P&L Talk Series with Gary Flagler – Profit & Loss
In an interview at Profit & Loss Latin America 2018 conference, Gary Flagler, Head of International Business Development, Derivatives, at MexDer, talked about the Mexican exchange’s future growth plans.
Regulatory News
FMSB Issues Suspicious Transaction Reporting Guide – Profit & Loss
The FICC Markets Standards Board (FMSB) has publishes a transparency draft of a new Statement of Good Practice on Suspicious Transaction and Order Reporting.
CFTC Officials Want Close Cooperation with SEC on Crypto Rules – Coin Desk
Two officials at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) spoke about regulating cryptocurrencies this week, stressing the need for cooperation between their agency and another powerful US regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Coinbase Responds to New York AG’s Crypto Exchange Inquiry – CCN
Coinbase has formally responded to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s cryptocurrency exchange inquiry, and the San Francisco-based startup elected to share a portion of that response with the public.
LEI Uptake Still Brisk Post-Mifid II Deadline – Waters Technology (subscription)
The lead-up to Mifid II led to a huge jump in Legal Entity Identifiers issued, and LEI uptake continues to break records through Q1 2018.
Company News
SGX Invests in Cobalt – Profit & Loss
Cobalt has secured a strategic investment from Singapore Exchange (SGX).
Compression Firms Vie to Ease Libor Switch – Risk (subscription)
Quantile and TriOptima launching services to tear up Libor swaps and replace with new rates.
Intercontinental Exchange’s FX Volumes Down 27% in April 2018 – Finance Magnates
ICE disclosed weak metrics across its foreign exchange and credit volumes, which averaged 26,000 contracts per day.
Market Savvy
Argentina Defends Peso as Emerging Markets Stumble – Financial Times (subscription)
Argentina raised interest rates for the second time in a week after more than $5bn of central bank intervention failed to stop a steep fall in the peso, highlighting the intensifying pressure on emerging market currencies in recent weeks.
Turkish Lira Faces Heavy Fall in Emerging Market Storm – Financial Times (subscription)
The Turkish lira hit a fresh low, tumbling more than one per cent on the dollar and deepening its May rout amid wobbles in the broader emerging market and a slew of local issues including booming inflation.
Trump Ire Stokes Gold Trade in Iran as Rial Hits Record Low – Bloomberg
Iranians placed a lot more bets on gold in the first quarter after the local currency weakened to a record and fears grew that the US would pull out of the nuclear deal, signaling a return to sanctions.