The World Federation of Exchanges (“WFE”), the global industry group for exchanges and CCPs, has today issued a statement on coronavirus (Covid-19) and current market volatility.
https://twitter.com/TheWFE/status/1240621130299445249
The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has introduced extraordinary volatility in global financial markets, as participants are obliged to reassess their valuations of all investments and associated derivatives as the situation develops. In an environment where uncertainty makes it unusually hard to price assets and for market-makers to operate, exchanges are providing the only way to establish consensus on these valuations in real time. As such, WFE members expect to continue to operate for as long as normal during trading days. CCPs, meanwhile, continue to take prompt action with respect to the credit risk associated with participants’ open positions. The WFE is in turn facilitating the exchange of best practice among its members, who operate over 150 such pieces of infrastructure in over 90 countries around the world.
Volatility has reached levels comparable with the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, with one-day losses not seen since 1987. The situation is made more challenging by high levels of indebtedness and already low interest rates. As the global representative body of exchanges and CCPs, the WFE is working with our member community to share best practice, mitigate risk, and coordinate responses (where permitted by antitrust laws) during this crisis.
Crisis measures
A variety of well-established measures are used to address the pressures on the financial system. Examples include:
Even as our present crisis causes large swings in markets and operational pressure on market infrastructures, these functions remain critically important. It is important that markets remain open and that the hours of trading remain as normal, to preserve the benefits of price formation and access to liquidity for society. As for key personnel of other critical national infrastructures, there is a need to ensure exemptions for critical financial market infrastructure personnel in the event of any ‘shelter in place’ or ‘lockdown’ policy.
Action by the WFE and global market infrastructures
WFE members are coming together to share evidence on the impact of recent measures, and over the coming weeks and months will work together to determine how the experience of recent days can inform best practices and public policy going forward. We will all continue to work with global and national authorities as they seek to address the pandemic and its impact on our lives. The WFE will provide opportunities for global exchanges and CCPs to remain in communication about the imposition of market integrity measures relevant to financial stability, ensuring the international co-ordination of these where that is necessary for them to be effective.
It is important that financial markets remain able to perform their role - providing investors with liquidity, facilitating price discovery, and allowing for risk transfer and the transmission of monetary policy. It is likewise important that CCPs continue to play their role supporting the risk transfer of products and specifically in derivatives markets by mitigating, within the parameters they operate, associated systemic risks.
Market infrastructures around the world recognise their responsibility not only to issuers and market participants, but to the economies they serve and society at large. We believe that with appropriate action, information-sharing and vigilance, along with a fundamental focus on market integrity and investor protection, we will be able to come through the current crisis.
Nandini Sukumar, Chief Executive Officer, WFE said: “In a crisis, you need finance more than ever, and how else are people going to be able to operate that without central markets? Indeed, it is hard to envisage any benefit from closing markets during a period of already heightened uncertainty - particularly not to investors. Policymakers and central bankers, as well as market participants, need as much accurate and reliable information to help manage the situation. Every market infrastructure, exchange, and CCP, is working towards maintaining open, safe and resilient markets through this time. Exchanges and CCPs enable businesses to fund, investors to price assets and manage risk appropriately, and central banks and policy makers to promote financial stability; they should be allowed to do so with normal trading hours and appropriate support from policymakers.”
Source: WFE
Joint Statement From U.S. Market Trade Associations On Keeping Financial Markets Open:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce along with the undersigned market trade associations issued the following statement on the importance of keeping U.S. financial markets open:
“The U.S. financial markets are critical infrastructure to our nation, and they continue to function as designed despite the volatility caused by the coronavirus. Keeping all U.S. financial markets open is essential to the well-being of the general economy and vital to maintaining and bolstering investor confidence, particularly once the economy recovers from effects of this pandemic.”
Managed Funds Association
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association
American Cotton Shippers Association
Commodity Markets Council
International Swaps and Derivatives Association
Investment Company Institute