- Question ID
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2017_3538
- Legal act
- Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
- Topic
- Market risk
- Article
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350
- Paragraph
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2
- COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs/Recommendations
- Not applicable
- Article/Paragraph
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N/A
- Type of submitter
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Investment firm
- Subject matter
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CIU Correlation Test
- Question
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When applying the correlation test outlined in Article 350(2b) to a given CIU position in order to determine the appropriate capital treatment for position risk, may an institution adjust the historical prices of the CIU to reflect solely those price movements which relate to the position risk of that CIU?
- Background on the question
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Where a CIU is denominated in the same currency as the currency of its underlying constituents, the only risk factor affecting the price of the CIU is the position risk factor. However the same CIU is often listed for trading on several different venues in several different currencies. It is industry convention that the majority of these CIUs are not currency hedged. In such cases, the price of the CIU will be dependent on both the position risk factor and the foreign exchange risk factor. For example, an ETF tracking the DAX index which is listed in Euro has a mandate to track the DAX index and we expect that it will comfortably pass the correlation test if it is being managed in line with its mandate. However, that same ETF may also be cross-listed in CHF. In terms of position risk, the benchmark tracking error reported by the ETF provider for the ETF denominated in CHF will be exactly the same as that of the ETF listed in Euro but the CIU may fail the correlation test as its listed price in CHF will also be affected by movements in the CHF/EUR FX rate. Given that Article 350 deals only with position risk and that the foreign exchange risk of CIU positions is dealt with effectively in Article 353 of the CRR, is it acceptable to adjust the price of the CIU to reflect only position risk before carrying out the correlation test in Article 350? Assuming the actual underlying positions will result in the true economic risk being correctly reflected for both position risk and foreign exchange risk. Failure to pass the correlation test results in institutions being forced to apply the punitive capital treatment outlined in Article 348 despite the fact that the CIUs are being managed in accordance with UCITS rules and their own prospectus documents. This renders it uneconomical to trade and market-make these positions.
- Submission date
- Final publishing date
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- Final answer
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The own funds requirements for CIUs assigned to the trading book which are denominated in foreign currency are determined separately according to the approaches in Article 350 (position risk) and Article 353 CRR (foreign exchange risk).
Due to the fact that Article 350 CRR only deals with the position risk of CIUs, currency mismatches which have an impact on the daily returns can be disregarded for the purpose of the calculation of the minimum correlation coefficient according to Article 350 (2)(b) CRR. The currency mismatch of the CIU and the index/basket only has to be considered within Article 353 CRR. - Status
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Final Q&A
- Answer prepared by
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Answer prepared by the EBA.
- Note to Q&A
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Update 26.03.2021: This Q&A has been reviewed in the light of the changes introduced to Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR) and continues to be relevant.
Disclaimer
The Q&A refers to the provisions in force on the day of their publication. The EBA does not systematically review published Q&As following the amendment of legislative acts. Users of the Q&A tool should therefore check the date of publication of the Q&A and whether the provisions referred to in the answer remain the same.