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The 2012 London Olympics are likely to go over budget because of FX risk

Paying a pop star to perform at your wedding is so underwhelming. At least, this seems to have been the thinking behind 33-year-old Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko's decision to employ not one but four during his nuptials to model and former Miss Yugoslavia Aleksandra Kokotovich in Antibes, France, last month.

Managed futures or commodity trading advisers (CTAs) have been a good source of diversification and positive returns for hedge fund investors for many years. Barclay Trading Group's CTA index, for example, shows average correlation of just 0.070 with the HFRI fund weighted composite, and 0.223 with the HFRI fund of funds composite from 1990 to the end of 2004. Since the index's inception in 1980, there have been only three instances in which a year has ended with a loss, the greatest being –1.19% in 1999. But for a strategy based on long-term trends, the current market environment has made it difficult to find opportunities. At the end of August this year, the Barclay CTA index was down 1.30%. The result is that those in the know are evolving to find opportunities in shorter-term trends.

The credit derivatives market has expanded fast in recent months. But the growing backlog of unconfirmed trades has caused concern.

The asset class is likely to outperform emerging-market debt as more funds enter the market.

But owner banks should be cautious about the effects of a spin-off.

The City of London's usual summer slowdown was even more apparent than usual this summer as bankers' attention was grabbed by the most exciting Test Match series ever. England narrowly beat Australia for the Ashes, the sport of cricket's most prized trophy. The UK population, normally only interested in the histrionics of footballers and their wives, fell in love with cricket once again as England outplayed their arch-rivals for the first time in almost 20 years.

Questions remain over how best to price ultra long-dated linkers and the role of hedge funds.

It's pretty unlikely that Hugo Chávez calls too many of his friends "homies" or knows the difference between Grandmaster Flash and Tupac Shakur. But that didn't stop him from being cheered during a visit to the Bronx last month.

Banks are muscling in on US auto finance as vehicle makers divert capital to manufacturing and marketing.

Sovereign also issues first global deal denominated in local currency.

Wachovia's Ken Thompson wants his firm to be the best financial institution in the US. His ambitions extend to investment banking. As Wachovia makes its move on Wall Street, Kathryn Tully spoke to Thompson and the rest of his management team. Should the traditional bulge bracket be concerned?