CDS manipulation?
Is there any market left unmanipulated?
“Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and 14 other investment banks face a European Union antitrust probe into credit-default swaps for companies and sovereign debt.
The European Commission is investigating whether 16 bank dealers, including Citigroup Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG, colluded by giving market information to Markit, a financial information provider. Regulators will also examine whether nine of the firms struck unfair deals with ICE Clear Europe, a clearinghouse for derivatives, shutting out competitors.
“Lack of transparency in markets can lead to abusive behavior and facilitate violations of competition rules,” Joaquin Almunia, the EU’s competition commissioner, said in an e-mailed statement. “I hope our investigation will contribute to a better functioning of financial markets.” (Bloomberg)