Derivatives
- Opinion
- World markets
The insider trading shadow hanging over Trump’s sudden backdown
A burst of unusual activity in markets this week has raised suspicions about insider trading.
- Stephen Bartholomeusz
Latest
- Opinion
- Online gambling
Unusual bets on Trump’s war have rung alarm bells
Highly profitable trades made ahead of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran have put a spotlight on a fast-growing threat to the financial system.
- Stephen Bartholomeusz
‘Asset of the future’: Meet the companies ditching cash for bitcoin
Companies are adopting crypto in a demonstration of forward-thinking strategy – yet the risks of past financial crises are never out of the picture.
- Chris Zappone
When free markets collide with poor taste. Bets on CEO murder test limits
Futures trading is pushing far beyond actual risk hedging or other legitimate economic purposes by offering wagers related to CEO Brian Thompson’s death in the US.
- Lydia Beyoud
ASIC warns sellers of ‘financial heroin’ over their mass marketing
The corporate watchdog has told sellers of high-risk financial betting products to clean up their act.
- Sarah Danckert
- Opinion
- Markets
The ‘financial heroin’ product that ASIC is trying to bust
Having a win represents a massive high. But if punters lose, withdrawal is financially painful.
- Elizabeth Knight
ASIC action forces trading house spruiked by Steve Smith to close
Trade360 owner Sirius Financial is accused of enlisting an offshore call centre to flog its high-risk products that led to significant harm, including one customer losing $400,000.
- Sarah Danckert
- Explainer
- Investing
From Gosling to GameStop, ‘shorting’ is having a moment. But what exactly is it?
Shorting someone of change is pretty clearly a bad thing – but what about “shorting” a company?
- Millie Muroi
- Opinion
- Oil
The toxic cocktail sparking a commodity crisis
Geopolitical, market and financial volatility can generate unintended and unpredictable consequences. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the West’s response are providing a dramatic illustration of how combustible that combination can be.
- Stephen Bartholomeusz
- Opinion
- Interest rates
Will the end of ‘the world’s most important number’ be a Y2K moment?
LIBOR, the world’s key benchmark for trillions of dollars of loans and other financial contracts for half a century, will be largely disappear on January 1.
- Stephen Bartholomeusz