Back in the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan used this phrase to great effect to fend off criticism that was untrue or exaggerated. Today, it’s a phrase we think about saying often, particularly when it comes to news reports about the OCC’s Quarterly Report on Bank Trading and Derivatives Activities.
The 2011 second quarter edition is just out and, as usual, it’s creating some misperceptions that need to be clarified. The New York Times, for example, reported on it and said that “The nation’s four biggest banks… are the biggest players, holding roughly 95 percent of the industry’s total exposure to derivatives.”
As we’ve noted in the past, the OCC report only covers part of the US market. The data includes derivatives exposures of US dealers and US subsidiaries of non-US dealers. But it does not include exposures arising from transactions between a US firm and a non-US dealer.
Even more importantly, the OTC derivatives market is global, with competitors from all geographic sectors. On a global basis, the five largest US-based dealers held 37 percent of total derivatives notional according to an analysis ISDA did last year. The G14 group of dealers (the 14 largest) held 82 percent of total notionals outstanding.
The depth and breadth of competition in OTC derivatives is also supported by data from SwapClear, which requires members to have at least $1 trillion in notional outstanding. There are at last count 38 separate dealer/members who meet this criterion.
This leads us to ask: which other global markets have as many firms competing for business as this one?
Latest
Launch of ISDA Notices Hub and Protocol
ISDA has launched the ISDA Notices Hub and the ISDA 2025 Notices Hub Protocol, giving users a faster and more efficient method for delivering critical notices and reducing the uncertainty and risk of losses that can result from delays. The...
Response to Voluntary Carbon Markets Consultation
On July 10, ISDA responded to the UK government’s consultation on voluntary carbon and nature markets. The UK should continue to play a leading role in promoting the consistent legal treatment of carbon credits internationally, with the development of global...
ISDA Response – ROC Consultation on Revised CDE Version 4
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) response to the Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC) consultation on the harmonisation of critical OTC derivatives data elements (CDE) revised CDE Technical Guidance – version 4, submitted to the ROC on January 24,...
ISDA response to ESMA MiFIR Review Consultation
On July 11, ISDA submitted a response to the European Securities and Markets Authority's (ESMA) fourth package of Level 2 consultation under the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation Review (MiFIR), on transparency for derivatives, package orders and input/output data for...