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Monthly Archives: April 2015

OTC derivatives statistics at end-December 2014

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“The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) today released OTC derivatives statistics at end-December 2014.

  • OTC derivatives markets contracted in the second half of 2014. The notional amount of outstanding contracts fell by 9% between end-June 2014 and end-December 2014, from $692 trillion to $630 trillion. Exchange rate movements exaggerated the contraction of positions denominated in currencies other than the US dollar. Yet, even after adjusting for exchange rate movements, notional amounts were still down by about 3%.
  • The gross market value of outstanding derivatives contracts – which provide a more meaningful measure of amounts at risk than notional amounts – rose sharply in the second half of 2014. Market values increased from $17 trillion to $21 trillion between end-June 2014 and end-December 2014, to their highest level since 2012. The increase was likely driven by pronounced moves in long-term interest rates and exchange rates during the period.
  • Central clearing, a key element in global regulators’ agenda for reforming OTC derivatives markets to reduce systemic risks, made further inroads. In credit default swap markets, the share of outstanding contracts cleared through central counterparties rose from 27% to 29% in the second half of 2014. In interest rate derivatives markets too, central clearing is becoming increasingly important.

Developments in the latest OTC derivatives statistics, including tables with the latest data, are summarised in the statistical release. Additional details and historical data are available on the BIS website. OTC derivatives statistics at end-June 2015 will be released on or before 15 November 2015.”

Transportation Alternatives by Census Region

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“Transportation Alternatives by Census Region,” a new infographic in the Measuring America series, highlights household public transportation use with statistics from the 2013 American Housing Survey. It summarizes regional differences in public transportation use and expense, the type of public transportation used most frequently, and walking and biking accessibility. The American Housing Survey is sponsored by the… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Homeland Security, SEC’s Internal Controls, SEC Oversight of FINRA, Southwest Border, Needy Families, USAID

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Homeland Security: Actions Needed to Better Manage Security Screening at Federal Buildings and Courthouses, GAO-15-445: Published: Mar 31, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2015. Management Report: Improvements Needed in SEC’s Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures, GAO-15-387R: Published: Apr 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2015. Securities Regulation: SEC Can Further Enhance Its Oversight Program of… Continue Reading

Take Action to Support Library of Congress and GPO Funding

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By James R. Jacobs in post on April 23, 2015. “The American Association of Law Libraries’ Government Relations Committee (GRC) Access to Information Subcommittee has just put out an urgent call for action. We at FGI would echo this call and ask our readers to TAKE ACTION NOW to get Congress to adequately fund the… Continue Reading

SLA STEM Learning Initiative

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SLA Stem Initiative: “As technology progresses, research workflows evolve in a number of ways. Technology has the potential to enhance the efficiency of scientific research, but it also presents new obstacles. Technological advances have led to a ubiquity of information, which poses the challenge of identifying critical data without wasting time on less important content.… Continue Reading

CEOS’ Leadership Styles and Managers’ Innovative Behaviour

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Kang, Jae Hyeung and Solomon, George T. and Choi, David Y., CEOS’ Leadership Styles and Managers’ Innovative Behaviour: Investigation of Intervening Effects in an Entrepreneurial Context (June 2015). Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 52, Issue 4, pp. 531-554, 2015. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2600320 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joms.12125 “We examine the relationships and intervening mechanisms between… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement April 29 2015

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News release: “Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March suggests that economic growth slowed during the winter months, in part reflecting transitory factors. The pace of job gains moderated, and the unemployment rate remained steady. A range of labor market indicators suggests that underutilization of labor resources was little changed. Growth… Continue Reading

Olive Executable Archive – Enable libraries to achieve their mission of preserving the scholarly record

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“Olive is a collaborative project seeking to establish a robust ecosystem for long-term preservation of software, games, and other executable content. Born at Carnegie Mellon University, Olive addresses the current gap in preservation technology by providing a curated environment for the preservation and distribution of executable content. Goals Enable libraries to achieve their mission of… Continue Reading

Exonerees freed by innocence projects work for justice

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ABA Journal, Terry Carter – “Wrongly imprisoned, these men spent many years behind bars for crimes they did not commit. Plenty of convicted felons claim to be innocent; too many of them actually are. The criminal justice system stole from these men the carefree years of young adulthood. While many prisoners dream of going to… Continue Reading

Ingredients Must Meet Strict Safety Standards

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“There’s a new label hitting store shelves this spring and summer that will make it easier to find cleaning products that are safer for everyone, including our pets and the environment. To display the new Safer Choice label, a product must first be reviewed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists to ensure every ingredient it… Continue Reading

Report – Why Classroom Diversity Matters in Early Education

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A Better Start: Why Classroom Diversity Matters in Early Education, “a report authored by Jeanne Reid, NCCF post-doctoral research scientist, and NCCF Co-director Sharon Lynn Kagan, with Michael Hilton and Halley Potter, was published April 29, 2015 by the Policy and Race Research Action Council and The Century Foundation, and released at a briefing on… Continue Reading