The volume of issuance (sales) and the size of outstanding structured product portfolios have a material impact on derivative pricing and spreads. An investment bank will issue derivatives into the market to construct portfolios for sellers of these products, creating natural opportunities for hedge funds to come in on the other side of the trade. It is common knowledge in investment banks that hedge funds help to reduce their volatility risk, providing liquidity in a very complementary way. For example, active hedge fund spread trades alluded to earlier are carried out by selling puts – while portfolio insurance by.
