Clearstream reports that its July 2015 figures record a new peak in assets under custody and continuing growth in all business areas.

The overall value of assets under custody held on behalf of customers registered an increase of 10 percent to EUR 13.5 trillion (compared to EUR 12.2 trillion in July 2014).

Securities held under custody in Clearstream’s international business as an international central securities depository (ICSD) increased by 11 percent from EUR 6.5 trillion in July 2014 to EUR 7.2 trillion in July 2015.  Securities held under custody in the German central securities depository (CSD) increased by 9 percent from EUR 5.7 trillion in July 2014 to EUR 6.2 trillion in July 2015.

For the period year-to-date July 2015, the combined value of assets under custody in the German domestic CSD and global ICSD business increased by 10 percent compared to the same period last year (YTD July 2015: EUR 13.3 trillion; YTD July 2014: EUR 12.1 trillion).

Some 3.6 million international (ICSD) settlement transactions were processed, a 1 percent decrease over July 2014 (3.7 million). Of all international transactions, 83 percent were OTC transactions and 17 percent were registered as stock exchange transactions.  On the German domestic market, CSD settlement transactions in July 2015 reached 8.2 million, 26 percent more than in July 2014 (6.6 million). Of these transactions, 62 percent were stock exchange transactions and 38 percent OTC transactions.

For the period year-to-date July 2015, the number of settlement transactions (OTC and stock exchange combined) processed for the German domestic CSD and global ICSD business combined increased by 13 percent compared to the same period last year (YTD July 2015: 82.8 million; YTD July 2014: 73.6 million).

The Investment Fund Services business contributed to this growth in the ICSD business as its corresponding transactions registered an 18 percent increase.

For Global Securities Financing (GSF) services, the monthly average outstanding in July 2015 reached EUR 600.8 billion. The combined services, which include tri-party repo, securities lending and collateral management, collectively experienced a decrease of 3 percent over July 2014 (EUR 619.5 billion). The GSF monthly average outstanding has grown by 4 percent from the period year-to-date July 2014 (EUR 595.7 billion) to the period year-to-date July 2015 (EUR 620.9 billion).

Investment Fund Services (IFS) processed 0.9 million transactions in July 2015, a 14 percent increase over July 2014 (0.8 million). Clearstream says IFS transactions have grown by 18 percent from 5.1 million processed in the period year-to-date July 2014 to 6.0 million in the period year-to-date July 2015. 

 

CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, says it will launch seven-year and 20-year US Dollar Deliverable Swap Futures (DSF) on September 28, 2015. 

By Valentijn van Nieuwenhuijzen, Head of Multi-Asset at NN Investment Partners

Talk about a currency war, doubts about Chinese policymakers’ credibility and worries over the Chinese economic slowdown and its ripple effects have ignited risk aversion among investors. 

The declines in Western stock markets have been a knee-jerk reaction in thin summer trading, says John Chatfeild-Roberts, head of the Jupiter Independent Funds Team. In a just-issued short note, he comments on events in China and suggests where to find value once the dust has settled.

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Why Teams Are the Client of the Future for Broker-Dealers points out that changes in the advisor-client of the modern broker-dealer present different challenges and opportunities that broker-dealers must navigate.

Speaking on the current market volatility, Valentijn van Nieuwenhuijzen, Head of Multi-Asset at NN Investment Partners, says: "In the aftermath of the shocking devaluation of the Chinese currency, markets remained focussed on fragility in the broader emerging market complex.