Brian Bollen's Blog

Busy day for ESMA

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued today regulatory technical standards (RTS) specifying the scope of the consolidated tape for bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and derivatives.

Eurozone inflation fall bigger than expected

The bigger than expected drop marks the peak in eurozone inflation and should calm European Central Bank (ECB) hawks, explains Schroders' senior European economist Azad Zangana.

There's a look in your eyes

Mint - Blain’s Morning Porridge

Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.

 

Time to go for gold?

Inflation is picking up and political risk is high, so it seems a good time to look at investing in gold. Do Schroders fund managers agree?

Quantopian chooses SS&C to optimise

SS&C Technologies Holdings, a global provider of financial services software and software-enabled services, says that Quantopian has chosen it as a key partner in support of its investment operations.

Victory Capital turns to Citi

Citi has been appointed by Victory Capital to provide full ETF services including fund accounting and administration, custody, and transfer agency for its VictoryShares-branded excxhange-traded funds.

Omgeo Alert completes SSI Utility enhancements

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) reports that its Omgeo ALERT (ALERT) solution, a global repository for storing standing settlement instruction (SSI) data, has completed enhancements to become the industry’s single and centralised ‘SSI Utility.’ With 6.6 million settlement instructions as of year-end 2016, an increase of 15% over 2015, DTCC remains committed to driving the industry towards automating and replacing onerous, manual processes.

EU Commission bans Deutsche Börse, LSE merger

On the day that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland finally triggered Article 50, the first step in its departure from the European Union, the EU Commission formally informed Deutsche Börse AG and the London Stock Exchange Group plc that it has decided to prohibit the planned merger of the two companies in spite of the remedial measures offered by both companies.

I'm backing Beer Bear in Stony Stratford

Take a look at the plans for an intriguing new project in the historic market town of Stony Stratford (featured in Withnail and I and the Shakespeare play about the princes in the tower): http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/stony-beer-bear-bottle-shop-and-micro-pub?tk=2ca4526ab3d40f6f78a78573747222fdfdacd8ec

They are 58% of the way to their crowdfunder target with 17 days left.

Franzi, the main driving force behind the plans, says: Stony Beer Bear is a craft beer bottle shop and micro pub, opening in North West Milton Keynes in April 2017. We currently anticipate to stock bottles from about 20 local and further 40 national breweries with a heavy emphasis on beers from London and Bristol. The shop will also have five taps and 20 seats, so you can drink in and take away. 

CACEIS selected by Orca Capital

Munich-based Orca Capital GmbH has selected CACEIS to provide cash equity clearing and settlement services for its global securities and bonds trading activity.

A petition for divorce

Mint - Blain’s Morning Porridge

This, my sweet, is a letter from my solicitor telling you that your husband has filed a petition for divorce. It also tells you to get yourself a solicitor pretty damn quick.

If a listicle is about cricket...

If a listicle is about cricket, does that make it a testicle?

Desio appoints BNP Paribas Securities Services

BNP Paribas Securities Services says it has won a mandate to provide Italian banking group Banco di Desio e della Brianza with global custody services for €11bn worth of Italian and foreign assets.

Uncertainty the new normal

Linedata, a global solutions provider to the investment management and credit industries, has released the results of its seventh annual survey of the global asset management industry.

Fill me full of direst cruelty

Mint - Blain’s Morning Porridge

Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!

Is there anything on earth...

...less funny than than the Mrs Brown character?

A lot of momentum for Brazil

Brazil, one of the best markets in 2016, has clearly underperformed in the last few weeks, according Maarten-Jan Bakkum, senior strategist, emerging markets, NN Investment Partners.

FundRock hires Harris

FundRock Management Company SA says it has appointed Irish funds lawyer Louise Harris to head up the Legal and Compliance function at its Irish branch. 

EM DR growth strong: BNY Mellon

The total global trading volume of depositary receipts (DRs) - negotiable financial instruments issued by a bank to represent a foreign company's publicly traded securities - reached US$152.1bn, and $2.9 trillion in traded value in 2016 according to The 2016 Depositary Receipt Market Review, released today by BNY Mellon.

YoY growth for Guernsey funds sector

New figures from the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC) show that the net asset value of funds under management and administration in the island grew by £6.5bn (2.6%) during the fourth quarter of 2016.