Deutsche Bank says derivatives exposure fears overblown: paper
A Deutsche Bank logo adorns a wall at the company's headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany June 9, 2015. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank
"The risks in our derivatives book are massively overestimated," Lewis told the paper. He said 46 trillion euros in derivatives exposure at Deutsche appeared large but reflected only the notional value of the contracts, while the bank's net exposure to derivatives was far lower, at around 41 billion euros.
"The 46 trillion euros figure sounds gigantic, but it is completely misleading. The real risk is far lower," Lewis said, adding that the level of risk on Deutsche Bank's books was in line with that seen at other investment banking peers.
"We are trying to make our business less complex and are paring back our derivatives book. Parts of it were transferred into a non-core unit some years ago."
New banking regulations imposed in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis discourage large bets on risky assets, and have forced Deutsche Bank to drastically cut back the scale of its derivatives exposure.
Derivatives are financial contracts that draw their value from the performance of an underlying asset, index or interest rate. They can be used to hedge risks.
(The story was refiled to correct the figure in third paragraph to trillions instead of billions)
(Reporting by Edward Taylor; editing by Andrew Roche)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- Columbia University faces federal complaint after arresting anti-war protesters
- L3Harris raises top end of 2024 adjusted earnings outlook amid global tensions
- Weyerhaeuser beats quarterly profit estimates on high real estate demand
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
ReutersRelated Entities
Deutsche BankSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!