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The Fixed Income & FX Leaders Benchmarking report reflects the direction that finance will take as market conditions become more complex and institutions struggle to control inflation. We discuss insights from the business world regarding various scenario expectations, investor concerns, and techniques that can help build better portfolios in the future while reducing risk as we move through difficult times.

In light of the upcoming Fixed Income & FX Leaders Summit APAC, Joanne Murphy from CAIA Association interviews James Cheo, Chief Investment Officer SEA, HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth. Download the full transcript of the video interview here.

India boasts a stable currency, alongside strong macroeconomic fundamentals, government policies, ample foreign exchange reserves and a vibrant economy. With its focus on leveraging global value chains to boost their local manufacturing industry, they have an aspiration to achieve the exports of USD 2 Tn by 2030. This case study, featuring insights from Shamit Chokshi, Head of Offshore Fund Investments from ICICI Prudential AMC, seeks to explore the integral role of INR in the global economy as India navigates its way through a series of challenges including the rise of crude oil prices and the recent inclusion in major local currency bonds indices.

In light of the upcoming Fixed Income & FX Leaders Summit APAC, Joanne Murphy from CAIA Association interviews Eric Neo Say Wei, Founder & Chairman of Neo & Partners Global and President of HG Exchange (HGX). Download the full transcript of the video interview here.

In April, we observed broad dollar weakness after some strength in March. Markets were relatively buoyed by economic recoveries across major economies, as well as positive corporate earnings reports. The dollar was also pulled back as US yields retreated from end-March highs. This was in line with our views (a tad earlier than expected) that the dollar weakness will come when imbalances between expectations of growth and inflation correct.

In Q4 of 2020, WBR Insights surveyed one hundred buy-side Heads of Fixed Income Trading, Heads of Trading and Heads of Technology from Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. The objective of this survey was to better understand their approach to implementing automation technology within their organizations. This report aims to illuminate how the buy side is evaluating new opportunities for implementing electronification within the region, especially in light of COVID-19’s impact on trading workflows.

In Q3-Q4 of 2020, WBR Insights surveyed one hundred CDOs, heads of digitization and other senior figures from sell-side fixed income banks and brokers across the APAC region. The objective of this survey was to better understand their approach to implementing automation technology within their organizations. This report aims to illuminate how the sell side is evaluating new opportunities for implementing automation technology within the region, especially in light of COVID-19’s impact on trading workflows. The survey was conducted by phone appointment. The results were compiled and anonymized by WBR Insights and are presented here with analysis and commentary from Bloomberg contributors.

Mr Sam Ahmed, Managing Director from Deriv Asia, shares his view on the challenges faced in the Asian market, and potential of using digitalisation as a means to overcome them.

Forex Datasource provides a 2019 look at the rapid growth of trading volume in Chinese currencies across FX products and jurisdictions, as contrasts the much larger number of Chinese banks acting as FX market participants today in a context of rocky U.S.-China relations.

Click to download the Fixed Income APAC Innovation Briefing!

Bond ETFs have transformed how all investors access fixed income markets. But the movement is only beginning. Until iShares pioneered bond ETFs in 2002, ordinary investors had few low-cost options for building diversified bond portfolios on their own, especially in areas such as corporate and emerging-market debt. The first bond ETFs gave all investors efficient, convenient tools for targeting fixed income assets during the relevant trading day. BlackRock believes that global bond ETF assets are well positioned to double, to US$2 trillion, by the end of 2024—thanks to four long-term trends, which we will examine in this paper.

In today’s data-driven environment, to achieve firm growth goals, the front office needs to be able to act quickly with new business and new instruments, while adjusting to changing regulation. Accurate information and data are vital to accomplish this, and they need to work within the constraints dictated by the current state of the industry. In other words, without adding to operational costs.

In Q3 2018, WBR Insights was commissioned by Fitch Solutions to conduct research with 300 Asset Managers in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific to better understand their thoughts and strategies for navigating multiple cycles successfully.

To discover what the key industry players are planning over the short to mid-term, we have compiled the findings from our latest survey conducted with the attendees (senior buy side fixed income professionals) of Fixed Income Leaders APAC Summit 2017.This study was designed to offer the industry a benchmark and the following graphs provide insights into some of the key challenges, the hottest topics and spend priorities for some of the leading buy side companies operating in Asia.

Fixed income markets are in the process of radical change, with regulation, innovation and new entrants completely shaking up the market structure. In an asset class where trades have conventionally occurred bilaterally, the ways in which buy side and sell side traders interact is changing as the search for liquidity continues. This study was designed to offer the industry a benchmark. To identify the key challenges, spend priorities and trading strategies which the buy side is undertaking to adapt to new fixed income markets.

This follow-on report examines the readiness of buy- and sell-side players for the legislative changes coming into force in January 2018, and predicts fundamental changes in the investment research environment as online research marketplaces (ORMs) make their mark.