SPA at the New York Hilton on Oct 25. The SPA released the latest agenda and list of speakers for the October 25 Structured Products Distribution Summit at the New York Hilton.   The 40-plus speakers for the Summit represents a compelling group of industry experts with a first-time emphasis on the challenges and opportunities on the distribution side. This latest draft reflects several substitutions,... 

Eric Greschner On Monday, October 24, the SPA’s highly-reviewed single-day training program shifts into high gear with presentations from four global experts.   Held at the offices of Morrison & Foerster, this comprehensive session will feature the twin perspectives of renowned experts Tim Mortimer and Eric Greschner.   Also, Lloyd Harmetz and Remmelt Reigersman of Morrison & Foerster... 

The Structured Products Association is pleased to announce a distribution-focused Structured Products summit on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at the New York Hilton. The event is entitled “Structured Products Distribution Summit – The Buyside Speaks,” and it brings together the best minds in the financial services industry for an up-to-the moment perspective on structured investments... 

LONDON – The good news from the Office of National Statistics this month is that the Retail Prices Index (RPI) in June was down to 5% from 5.2% in May. The bad news, of course, is that it is at 5%. Between 1985 and 2010, the RPI increased at an average rate of 3.4%. So in 2011 we have inflation above the average. With traditional inflation-proofing investments delivering below-inflation returns,... 

Falling prices can be interesting backdrop for investors willing to research listed structured products – especially if they don’t have an aversion to complex structures that can pay off in a declining market. Sadly, most structured products are designed to make money only if the markets rise. But there is a subclass of products that theoretically produce returns even if share prices fail... 

In the August 2, 2011 issue of Structured Thoughts,  Morrison & Foerster discusses the SEC’s report of its sweep examination of retail structured products, the RIC commodity ruling update, and In re: Lehman Brothers and principal protection. ___________________________________ . The following is an archive of Morrison & Foerster’s Structured Thoughts publication from February 2011. . Structured... 

On July 27, 2011, Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a ruling in the case In re Lehman Brothers Securities and ERISA Litigation, in which the plaintiffs include pension funds, companies and individuals that were purchasers of various classes of equity and debt securities issued by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.  The claims relating to approximately 50 series of Lehman principal-protected notes had previously... 

The boundless adaptability of structured products is part of what makes these complex alternative investments so appealing. But it also makes them controversial. In the current market environment — represented by low interest rates, nervous investors and growing macroeconomic uncertainty — the structured-products industry has turned to various forms of low-yielding, principal-protected products. One... 

Volatility is a major factor in equity and option investments, and the Chicago Board Options Exchange Market Volatility Index (VIX), has been a popular and carefully-watched indicator almost from the moment it was launched. Though VIX may or may not be a rigorous substitute for risk, investors and financial commentators nevertheless watch this indicator to measure the tenor of investor attitudes about... 

When it comes to ease of trading, breadth of offerings, and simplicity of use, it’s hard to beat exchange-traded funds. That’s one reason why ETFs have taken the investing world by storm lately. But ETFs aren’t the only investing products you can find trading on stock exchanges these days. A similar sounding investment vehicle, the exchange-traded note or ETN, has also made big inroads...