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Trading Activities And Related Risks | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2014
Trading Activities And Related Risks [Abstract] |
Trading Activities And Related Risks | 3. Trading Activities and Related Risks IBG, Inc.’s trading activities include providing securities market making and brokerage services. Trading activities expose IBG, Inc. to market and credit risks. These risks are managed in accordance with established risk management policies and procedures. To accomplish this, management has established a risk management process that includes: •a regular review of the risk management process by executive management as part of its oversight role; •defined risk management policies and procedures supported by a rigorous analytic framework; and •articulated risk tolerance levels as defined by executive management that are regularly reviewed to ensure that IBG, Inc.’s risk‑taking is consistent with its business strategy, capital structure, and current and anticipated market conditions. Market Risk IBG, Inc. is exposed to various market risks. Exposures to market risks arise from equity price risk, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and changes in interest rates. IBG, Inc. seeks to mitigate market risk associated with trading inventories by employing hedging strategies that correlate rate, price and spread movements of trading inventories and related financing and hedging activities. IBG, Inc. uses a combination of cash instruments and exchange traded derivatives to hedge its market exposures. The following discussion describes the types of market risk faced: Equity Price Risk Equity price risk arises from the possibility that equity security prices will fluctuate, affecting the value of equity securities and other instruments that derive their value from a particular stock, a defined basket of stocks, or a stock index. IBG, Inc. is subject to equity price risk primarily in financial instruments owned and sold but not yet purchased. IBG, Inc. attempts to limit such risks by continuously reevaluating prices and by diversifying its portfolio across many different options, futures and underlying securities and avoiding concentrations of positions based on the same underlying security. Currency Risk Currency risk arises from the possibility that fluctuations in foreign exchange rates will impact the value of financial instruments. The Company manages this risk using spot (i.e., cash) currency transactions, currency futures contracts and currency forward contracts. Interest Rate Risk Interest rate risk arises from the possibility that changes in interest rates will affect the value of financial instruments. IBG, Inc. is exposed to interest rate risk on cash and margin balances, positions carried in equity securities, options, and futures and on its debt obligations. These risks are managed through investment policies and by entering into interest rate futures contracts. Credit Risk IBG, Inc. is exposed to risk of loss if an individual, counterparty or issuer fails to perform its obligations under contractual terms (“default risk”). Both cash instruments and derivatives expose IBG, Inc. to default risk. IBG, Inc. has established policies and procedures for mitigating credit risk on principal transactions, including reviewing and establishing limits for credit exposure, maintaining collateral, and continually assessing the creditworthiness of counterparties. The Company’s credit risk is limited in that substantially all of the contracts entered into are settled directly at securities and commodities clearing houses and a small portion is settled through member firms and banks with substantial financial and operational resources. IBG, Inc. seeks to control the risks associated with its customer margin activities by requiring customers to maintain collateral in compliance with regulatory and internal guidelines. In the normal course of business, IBG, Inc. executes, settles, and finances various customer securities transactions. Execution of these transactions includes the purchase and sale of securities by IBG, Inc. that exposes IBG, Inc. to default risk arising from the potential that customers or counterparties may fail to satisfy their obligations. In these situations, IBG, Inc. may be required to purchase or sell financial instruments at unfavorable market prices to satisfy obligations to customers or counterparties. Liabilities to other brokers and dealers related to unsettled transactions (i.e., securities fails to receive) are recorded at the amount for which the securities were purchased, and are paid upon receipt of the securities from other brokers or dealers. In the case of aged securities fails to receive, IBG, Inc. may purchase the underlying security in the market and seek reimbursement for any losses from the counterparty. For cash management purposes, IBG, Inc. enters into short‑term securities purchased under agreements to resell and securities sold under agreements to repurchase transactions (“repos”) in addition to securities borrowing and lending arrangements, all of which may result in credit exposure in the event the counterparty to a transaction is unable to fulfill its contractual obligations. Repos are collateralized by securities with a market value in excess of the obligation under the contract. Similarly, securities lending agreements are collateralized by deposits of cash or securities. IBG, Inc. attempts to minimize credit risk associated with these activities by monitoring collateral values on a daily basis and requiring additional collateral to be deposited with or returned to IBG, Inc. as permitted under contractual provisions. Concentrations of Credit Risk IBG, Inc.’s exposure to credit risk associated with its trading and other activities is measured on an individual counterparty basis, as well as by groups of counterparties that share similar attributes. Concentrations of credit risk can be affected by changes in political, industry, or economic factors. To reduce the potential for risk concentration, credit limits are established and exposure is monitored in light of changing counterparty and market conditions. As of June 30, 2014, the Company did not have any material concentrations of credit risk. Off‑Balance Sheet Risks IBG, Inc. may be exposed to a risk of loss not reflected in the condensed consolidated financial statements to settle futures and certain over‑the‑counter contracts at contracted prices, which may require repurchase or sale of the underlying products in the market at prevailing prices. Accordingly, these transactions result in off‑balance sheet risk as IBG, Inc.’s cost to liquidate such contracts may exceed the amounts reported in IBG, Inc.’s condensed consolidated statements of financial condition.

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- Definition Description of the nature of an entity's market making and brokerage trading activities and related risks, and how the entity manages those risks. + References No definition available. + Details
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