Law Commons^™

Tax Treatment Of Derivative Instruments, Oluwaseun Viyon Ojo

Oluwaseun Viyon Ojo

The article provides an analysis of the various types of derivative instruments traded on the capital markets. As derivative instruments become frequently tradable in the Nigerian Financial market in the near projected future, it is expedient that the concerned companies plan adequately for the tax implications of such transactions and the appropriate tax authorities know how to treat the instrument of derivatives for the purpose of imposition of relevant taxes. This paper therefore dealt with the treatment of these instruments under the Capital Gains Tax Act (CGTA) and Companies Income Tax Act (CITA), though there are no specific rules for …

The Volcker Rule And Evolving Financial Markets, Charles K. Whitehead

Charles K Whitehead

The Volcker Rule prohibits proprietary trading by banking entities - in effect, reintroducing to the financial markets a substantial portion of the Glass-Steagall Act’s static divide between banks and securities firms. This Article argues that the Glass-Steagall model is a fixture of the past - a financial Maginot Line within an evolving financial system. To be effective, new financial regulation must reflect new relationships in the marketplace. For the Volcker Rule, those relationships include a growing reliance by banks on new market participants to conduct traditional banking functions. Proprietary trading has moved to less-regulated businesses, in many cases, to hedge …

Gambling On Our Financial Future: How The Federal Government Fiddles While State Common Law Is A Safer Bet To Prevent Another Financial Collapse, Brian M. Mccall

Brian M McCall

Corporate Governance Issues, Peter Peterson, John Foster, Jeffrey M. Colon, William Treanor

Jeffrey M. Colon

No abstract provided.

Structured Notes Fiasco In The Courts: A Study Of Relevant Judgments In Taiwan Between 2009 And 2010, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung CHEN

The purpose of this article is to analyse relevant judicial decisions in Taiwan regarding structured notes sold to retail investors. Regarding pre-sale disputes, one issue was that investors failed to read contractual documents properly before signing contracts, so there was a question whether they could later claim a bank’s violation of its duty to explain. This article favours the view that an investor’s signature may exempt a bank’s duty, provided that investors are made aware of relevant warnings. In addition, for suitability assessment, relevant judgments show that customers were too easily classified as active investors based on a simple questionnaire. …

Regulation Of Speculation In The Financial Market: Focusing On Derivative Instruments, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung Chen

This article argues that market speculation is a conduct to acquire benefits by undertaking risk. Derivative instruments are powerful tools for market participants to conduct market speculation, which may help hedging, market making and completing investment market. However, pure and excessive speculation might cause net loss of market efficiency and create external costs. Some speculative transactions may imply asymmetric information. Market speculation might also lead to market abuse and even systemic risk. These reasons provide the basis to regulate market speculation by derivatives trading. This paper argues that Taiwan law might build on current regulatory model centring on the type …

Information Disclosure, Risk Trading And The Nature Of Derivative Instruments: From Common Law Perspective, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung CHEN

This paper explores issues of pre-contractual disclosure for derivative instruments, of which this paper describes as contracts to trade risks, in the UK and US. While there is no general duty of disclosure in common law, this paper focuses on whether there should be a duty of disclosure for derivative instruments by comparing with securities law and insurance law. This paper argues that mandatory disclosure in the securities market cannot be extended to exchange-traded futures contracts (save where securities are involved) because of the nature of securities. In addition, this paper argues that derivative instruments, though similar to insurance in …

The Construction Of Suitability Obligation Of Financial Institutions When Selling Structured Products: From Comparative Law Perspective, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung Chen

The purpose of this article is to examine the suitability rules regarding structured products under Taiwan law from a comparative law perspective. After the global financial crisis, Taiwan has imposed specific suitability obligations on financial institutions when they promote derivatives and structured products. However, the suitability rule is only placed in administrative regulations and its scope is also limited. In addition, Taiwan law does not distinguish different types of relationships between a financial institution and a client. Furthermore, the biggest challenge to the suitability rule is to define the meaning of ‘suitable’. This article argues that the starting point is …

Contractual Structure Of Structured Notes And Legal Characterisation Of Non-Discretionary Trust, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung Chen

This article argues that if a structured product is documented as “notes”, it should be deemed as “securities” under the Securities Exchange Act in Taiwan. It should be regulated issuance, purchase or brokerage activities under securities regulations, if a structured note is issued directly in Taiwan or if a domestic investor authorized a securities broker to have it purchased in a foreign country on his behalf,. In addition, even if one invests in structured notes issued by a foreign company via a non-discretionary trust with a commercial bank, this activity should still constitute sales of foreign securities; and thus it …

Implementing Dodd-Frank: A Review Of The Cftc‟S Rulemaking Process: Testimony, Michael Greenberger

Michael Greenberger

The Relationship of Unregulated OTC Derivatives to the Meltdown. It is now accepted wisdom that it was the non-transparent, poorly capitalized, and almost wholly unregulated over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives market that lit the fuse that exploded the highly vulnerable worldwide economy in the fall of 2008. Because tens of trillions of dollars of these financial products were pegged to the economic performance of an overheated and highly inflated housing market, the sudden collapse of that market triggered under-capitalized or non-capitalized OTC derivative guarantees of the subprime housing investments. Moreover, the many undercapitalized insurers of that collapsing market had other multi-trillion dollar …

Diversifying Clearinghouse Ownership In Order To Safeguard Free And Open Access To The Derivatives Clearing Market, Michael Greenberger

Michael Greenberger

Implementing the rigorous governance and ownership standards established in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act3 for derivatives clearing organizations (DCOs) will promote free and open access to clearing and reduce systemic risk within what is now the $700 trillion notional value derivatives market. Such standards are central to and advance the key regulatory tenants of Dodd-Frank: i.e., to restore transparency, capital adequacy, and accountability to what was the unregulated over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market by ensuring that swaps are cleared through financially sound DCOs. Also, these rules will promote competition by curtailing large swap dealers‘ (SDs) control over …

Implementation Of Title Vii Of The Wall Street Reform And Consumer Protection Act. Hearing Before The United States Senate, Committee On Agriculture, Nutrition And Forestry - 112th Cong., 1st Sess., Michael Greenberger

Michael Greenberger

The Relationship of Unregulated OTC Derivatives to the Meltdown. It is now accepted wisdom that it was the non-transparent, poorly capitalized, and almost wholly unregulated over-the-counter (―OTC‖) derivatives market that lit the fuse that exploded the highly vulnerable worldwide economy in the fall of 2008. Because tens of trillions of dollars of these financial products were pegged to the economic performance of an overheated and highly inflated housing market, the sudden collapse of that market triggered under-capitalized or non-capitalized OTC derivative guarantees of the subprime housing investments. Moreover, the many undercapitalized insurers of that collapsing market had other multi-trillion dollar …

Overwhelming A Financial Regulatory Black Hole With Legislative Sunlight: Dodd-Frank’S Attack On Systemic Economic Destabilization Caused By An Unregulated Multi-Trillion Dollar Derivatives Market, Michael Greenberger

Michael Greenberger

It is now accepted wisdom that it was the non-transparent, poorly capitalized and almost wholly unregulated over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives market that lit the fuse that exploded the highly vulnerable worldwide economy in the fall of 2008.[1] Because tens of trillions of dollars of these financial products were pegged to the economic performance of an overheated and highly inflated housing market, the sudden collapse of that market triggered under-capitalized OTC derivative guarantees of the subprime housing market; and the guarantors’ multi-trillion dollar interconnectedness with thousands of other OTC derivatives’ counterparties within that OTC market (through interest rate, currency, foreign exchange, and …

The Role Of Derivatives In The Financial Crisis – Testimony Before The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, June 30, 2010, Michael Greenberger

Michael Greenberger

It is now almost universally accepted that the unregulated multi-trillion dollar OTC CDS market helped foment a mortgage crisis, then a credit crisis, and finally a ―once-in-a-century systemic financial crisis that, but for huge U.S. taxpayer interventions, would have in the fall of 2008 led the world economy into a devastating Depression. Before explaining below the manner in which credit default swaps fomented this crisis, it worth citing in the margin those many economists, regulators, market observers, and financial columnists who have described the central role unregulated CDS played in the crisis. Even those once skeptical of arguments about the …

Deconstructing Equity: Public Ownership, Agency Costs, And Complete Capital Markets, Ronald J. Gilson, Charles K. Whitehead

Charles K Whitehead