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I had to laugh yesterday. I got a phone call from a journalist asking me if I could give him the results of the poll early on embargo. I promised him I’d look into it, adding that I thought it was a reasonable request.

Which US investment bank is back in the top 10? Which Danish bank breaks into the top 25 for the first time? What’s the best multi-bank platform – FXall or Currenex? And who are the leading local banks in emerging market FX? Here are the views of over 8,000 end-users who transacted over $120 trillion in the past 12 months.

Much to my surprise, CLS did not decide to allow pre-settlement netting at its last board meeting, held on April 26 (see the April issue of Euromoney). One of my more cynical contacts pointed out my naivety. “If I was a gambling man, it’s because sitting on the fence was an available option and everyone couldn’t help themselves but straddle that puppy,” he suggested.

This year’s FX poll dinner was held last night at the Emirates Stadium, the home – for those of you who don’t know – of Arsenal Football Club. I asked one of my muckers if he was attending. “Think we have a few people going, but the choice of venue would create a moral dilemma for me,” he wrote, adding: “S’pose you can get drunk and piss on the turf.”

Traiana has announced that it will make its NetLink service available for users of Hotspot FX. It will allow prime brokers to net trades their clients have made on the platform at pre-defined points throughout the day. NetLink, which was launched in January, already provides a similar service on EBS. In a press release, Gil Mandelzis, Traiana’s chief executive said: “NetLink helps FX-trading prime brokers net their customer trades efficiently and effectively, perpetuating the growth of liquidity. Efficiencies supported by enhanced straight-through processing remove the need for manual intervention, freeing up prime broker back-office capability.”

Jeremy Hodges has just left Lloyds TSB, where he was head of FX sales, global and fixed income. It is not known where he will resurface as yet. For the interim period the bank has appointed three new acting heads. Ted Holloway will become head of institutional FX solutions, Colin Devo moves to head of corporate FX solutions and Geoff Irvin will be head of special projects, FX solutions

CME has hired Craig LeVeille as director, FX products, and Michael Hohman as associate director, FX products. Both report to Derek Sammann, managing director, FX products.

The Association Cambiste International, formerly known as the Forex Association in the UK, has elected Manfred Wiebogen as its president. Wiebogen is head of CEE treasuries at Volksbank Austria.

An asset bubble on a global scale? What happens when it ends? How do investors prepare for its end? Seek matching risk and return while decreasing overall risk?

Commerzbank Corporates and Markets has appointed Andy Mayer as FX exotic options trader, based in London.

The acceptance of FX as a recognised asset class seems to be driving an increasing amount of interest from a wide range of new investors, which is spurring banks to launch new products to cater for their needs. This week, Merrill Lynch announced it is poised to launch the first FX collateralised debt obligation (CDO) or Collateralised FX Obligation (CFXO). The banks says the product will apply the methodology used in the credit world to FX. The product will be managed by Crédit Agricole Asset Management and rated by S&P. The existence of a rated product will allow certain institutional investors to invest in a basket of FX assets for the first time. Merrill says the development of an FX CDO signifies an important development in the market.

Add your own comments to, and read the views of: Fabian Shey, global head of FX distribution, UBS Investment Bank; Zar Amrolia, global head of Foreign Exchange, Deutsche Bank; Chris Mandell, global head of FX, Bank of America; Lars Hakanson, head of Foreign Exchange and Derivatives for Europe and Asia, Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking; Ivan Ritossa, global head of FX and head of Asian trading at Barclays Capital; Andrew Brown, global head of FX, HSBC; Richard Leighton, global head of FX at Standard Chartered; Jeff Feig, global head of FX, Citigroup; Roger Hawes and Martin Spurr, Royal Bank of Scotland. Expert FX comment by people in the know.