SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) – Cautionary tale or just plain dumb?

SVB – Cautionary tale or just plain dumb?

It is a bit of a truism, possibly wrong, that disasters are very good learning experiences. As such, it behooves us to consider the case of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). It was the 17th largest bank in the US before it went spectacularly bust in a very very short time. Normally in financial markets, the […]

April 4, 2023, by administrator

Poly-crisis? What poly-crisis?

Apologies in advance, a bit of a rant this time round. That being said, alluding to the classic Supertramp album in the title surely gives me some sort of leeway. Anyhoo, when it comes to the subject of poly-crises, I come not to praise them, but to bury them. Grey / No -haired folk like […]

February 1, 2023February 1, 2023, by administrator

ManCoTek

Firstly, a very Happy New Year. From a risk management perspective, we are sort of at the eye of the storm. The major geopolitical risks are largely obvious, but their potential impacts are less so. The China Covid risk is the outlier however in the information dead-zone that is China, perhaps the market’s ability to […]

January 7, 2023, by administrator

The management of risk

There is a trite saying in finance that risk management is an oxymoron. As with most trite statements there is an element of truth here. Markets are generally unknowable, unforecastable, and trying to manage such markets is a fool’s errand. Unless you are very very very rich. Now I am not talking about Jeff Bezos […]

November 15, 2022April 17, 2023, by administrator

A Brave New World

I had been talking about the “fun” things that can happen when yield curves get interesting. Well, I guess the current environment certainly counts as interesting. Possibly a bit too interesting. Folks talk about short term US interest rates at 5% without blushing, in the secure knowledge that these rates were at zero less than […]

September 15, 2022, by administrator

Who wants to be a banker (central)?

I cannot decide whether the ECB should be pleased or not with the public perception of its recent performance. Inflation is high pretty much everywhere, but the disdain for, supposedly, inflation-busting central bankers does not seem quite so widespread. In the US, Jay Powell is getting it between the eyes, even as US inflation may […]

September 5, 2022September 5, 2022, by administrator

Principle Adverse Impacts

As regards SFDR and ESG one hears frequently about Principle Adverse Impact. This article will explain what this concept means and outlines the RiskSystem solution that can assist managers meeting their regulatory obligations. The concept of Principle Adverse Impact (“PAI”) is concerned with financial market participants[1] (“FMPs”) informing investors as regards the consideration of “sustainability […]

August 3, 2022August 3, 2022, by administrator

Combatting Greenwashing

This article first appeared in ESG Today https://www.esgtoday.com/guest-post-combatting-greenwashing/ Regulators and in particular the EU have increased the level of disclosure as regards sustainable investing through the SFDR/Taxonomy/NFDR/CSRD etc. Their intention is that in time this will have clear benefits for investors and more importantly the planet. However be in no doubt many financial actors will […]

July 27, 2022, by administrator

RiskSystem wins Irish Funds Fintech Factor

We were delighted to win the prestigious FintechFactor competition hosted by Irish Funds – please see the announcement from Irish Funds below: “Congratulations to the winner of the FinTech Factor webinar last Friday, 29 April: RiskSystem. RiskSystem is a Cloud Based Risk Intelligence firm. RiskSystem provides a cost-effective yet comprehensive solution for asset managers currently struggling […]

July 4, 2022October 11, 2022, by administrator

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SVB – Cautionary tale or just plain dumb?