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Which two currencies are primarily dominating the interest rate derivatives market?
What event led to rapid growth in the interest rate derivatives market?
Which segment follows interest rate derivatives as the next largest market segment?
Which country holds the largest insurance market by premium volume?
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What is Lloyd’s primarily known for?
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What kind of liability do corporate members of Lloyd’s typically have?
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Which two countries rank as the second and third largest insurance markets?
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What do equity-linked contracts, credit derivatives, and commodity contracts typically serve to do?
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What is one primary function of investment banks?
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Which activity is NOT typically performed by custodians?
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How do investment banks assist institutional investors?
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What financial service is primarily associated with custodians?
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Which of the following statements about investment banks is true?
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What does the term 'financial engineering' refer to in the context of investment banking?
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In terms of asset servicing, what role do custodians play?
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Which type of clients do investment banks typically NOT manage?
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What primary service do retail/commercial banks provide to customers?
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Which of the following is a characteristic of larger retail banks?
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What is a financial conglomerate according to the BIS?
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How have cost pressures affected custodians in the financial industry?
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Which of the following entities are considered major global custodians?
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What distinguishes 'challenger' banks from traditional banks?
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What additional services do custodians generally provide beyond traditional custody?
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What trend has been observed in the retail/commercial banking sector regarding service delivery?
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What is the main purpose of a sovereign wealth fund (SWF)?
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What distinguishes private banking from retail banking?
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Which of the following is NOT a common source of assets for sovereign wealth funds?
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Which characteristic typically describes sovereign wealth funds?
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In recent years, what trend has occurred in the private banking market?
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Why are sovereign wealth funds significant players in global markets?
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What role do private banks play in relation to high street banks in the context of private banking services?
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How do sovereign wealth funds help stabilize local economies?
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What must investment firms provide if they offer independent advice?
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What is a key characteristic of execution-only transactions?
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How does robo-advice primarily operate?
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What must firms do when providing restricted advice?
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What is a common investment focus of robo-advice?
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What is the role of investment firms in an execution-only sale?
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What distinguishes robo-advice from traditional financial advice?
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What does a firm need to do to comply with regulatory guidelines in execution-only sales?
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Study Notes
Interest rate derivatives
- The interest rate derivatives market is dominated by euro and US dollar currencies.
- The market grew after the 2000-02 stock market crash due to traders wanting to hedge their positions against risks.
- FX derivatives are used to speculate on currency movements and hedge currency positions.
- Equity-linked, credit, and commodity contracts are used to hedge or speculate.
Insurance Markets
- Insurance markets provide personal, corporate, and life event risk management.
- The top five largest markets by premiums in 2021 are: US, China, Japan, UK, and France.
- Major players include China Life, Allianz, and AXA.
- Lloyd’s is a marketplace connecting insurers with risks.
- Traditionally, Lloyd’s members were individuals with unlimited liability, but now, corporate members with limited liability dominate.
Investment Banks
- Investment banks provide advice and finance for companies going public, raising more capital, and M&A.
- They also provide services for institutions like pension funds and asset managers.
- Investment banks provide services including:
- Finance-raising and advisory work for governments and firms.
- Securities trading for equities, bonds, and derivatives.
- Treasury dealing for currencies and financial engineering.
- Investment management for large investors.
- Most investment banks specialize in specific areas.
Custodians
- Custodians safely hold assets like shares and bonds for others, like fund managers.
- They provide:
- Safekeeping of assets
- Settlement of security purchases/sales
- Asset servicing (collecting income and processing corporate actions)
- Provision of company information and AGM details
- Cash transaction management
- FX transactions when required
- Reporting on portfolio activities: trades, corporate actions, etc.
- Global custodians dominate; examples include Bank of New York Mellon and State Street.
- Custodian services also commonly include stock lending, portfolio performance measurement, and cash return maximization.
Retail/Commercial Banks
- Retail/commercial banks provide services to retail and business customers, such as deposits, lending, payments, and money transmission.
- Traditionally, they operate through physical branches, but are increasingly using online and phone-based services.
- Larger retail banks offer additional financial products like investments, pensions, and insurance, becoming "financial conglomerates."
- A financial conglomerate is a group of companies under common control that provide services in two or more financial sectors (banking, securities, insurance).
- Challenger banks are smaller banks focusing on niche areas underserved by large banks.
- They use modern technology and have no physical branches.
- Private banking is offered by domestic and offshore banks (operating in different jurisdictions, usually for favorable tax reasons).
- The number of private banks has grown, causing increased competition.
- There are many medium-sized and small players in the private banking market.
- The distinction between private and retail banks is blurring as private banks lower investment thresholds to compete, and retail banks expand services to attract wealthier customers.
Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs)
- SWFs are state-owned investment funds holding financial assets.
- Examples include The Norway Government Pension Fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, SAMA Foreign Holdings of Saudi Arabia, and China Investment Corporation.
- SWFs invest in foreign financial assets to achieve financial objectives using specific investment strategies.
- Their assets are funded via balance of payments surpluses, foreign currency operations, privatization proceeds, fiscal surpluses, and commodity export revenues.
- They are major global investors with funds under management predicted to surpass $10 trillion.
- They often have undisclosed objectives but focus on above-average returns on overseas investments.
- Their size and diversification allow them to invest in the best opportunities, manage risks, and stabilize their local economies.
- They are private investment vehicles.
Independent vs. Restricted Advice
- Investment firms provide independent or restricted advice.
- Independent firms must provide unbiased recommendations based on a comprehensive analysis of all products available in the market.
- Restricted firms give advice only on their own products, and customers must be aware of this limitation.
Execution Only
- Execution-only firms carry out transactions based on specific customer requests without giving advice or suggesting products.
- Customers are responsible for assessing the suitability of the product.
- Firms must record and retain written evidence that they did not provide advice and clarified their lack of responsibility for product suitability.
Robo-Advice
- Robo-advice uses technology to provide financial advice without human advisors.
- Investors input financial data, and an algorithm determines suitable investment strategies.
- Strategies often focus on passive investments through index funds or ETFs.
- Robo-advice can fully automate or provide tools for investors to choose their own solutions.
- It uses asset-and-risk modeling, risk-targeted portfolios, and ongoing monitoring/rebalancing.
- Robo-advice is established in the US with major industry players.
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Description
This quiz explores the fundamentals of interest rate derivatives, insurance markets, and the role of investment banks. Understand how these financial institutions operate and their impact on risk management and capital raising. Test your knowledge on key players and market dynamics.
