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ECONOMIC REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

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asis.24 One of the advantages of central clearing is the increased ability of<br />

market participants to reduce their total exposure through trade compression<br />

– the canceling of equal and offsetting positions – that reduces the total<br />

amount of derivative positions outstanding. Figure 6-21 shows the rapid<br />

increase in trade compression in interest rate swaps as rules requiring their<br />

mandatory clearing came into effect.<br />

Twenty-three swap execution facilities are now registered with the<br />

CFTC and the application of one additional swap execution facility is<br />

pending. The SEC estimates that as many as 20 security-based swap execution<br />

facilities will register with the SEC when its applicable rules become<br />

effective, many of which will also be registered with the CFTC. According<br />

to information compiled by the International Swaps and Derivatives<br />

Association (ISDA), in the first 10 months of 2016, 55 percent of total interest<br />

rate derivative notional value and 76 percent of total CDS notional value<br />

takes place on swap execution facilities, the exchange-like electronic trading<br />

platforms required by Dodd-Frank.<br />

The Dodd-Frank Act improved the ability of regulators to oversee this<br />

market by requiring that all swap transactions be reported to registered swap<br />

data repositories (SDRs) and that summary information be periodically<br />

reported to the public. As of the fall of 2016, there are four SDRs provisionally<br />

registered with the CFTC and the SEC estimates that two SDRS will<br />

be registered with it when its rules become effective. In addition, there are<br />

many more trade repositories registered and operating overseas, including<br />

six registered with the European Securities and Market Authority, making a<br />

previously opaque market significantly more transparent.<br />

Credit Rating Agencies<br />

Credit rating agencies play an important role in the financial system.<br />

When a bank makes a loan, the bank is responsible for assessing the credit<br />

quality of the borrower and monitoring the performance of the loan. In a<br />

capital market, borrowers seek to raise funds by issuing bonds or other debt<br />

obligations to numerous investors. In this case, investors must either make<br />

their own determinations as to the borrower’s creditworthiness, which is<br />

made more difficult given the information asymmetries between the borrower<br />

and the investors, or rely on third parties to perform this function.<br />

This is the role of credit rating agencies: they rate the creditworthiness of<br />

borrowers and the probability of default of bonds and other debt instruments,<br />

and provide surveillance on borrower’s performance.<br />

24 A single-name CDS is a contract that pays the difference between the face value of a<br />

particular bond and the market value of that bond when the issuer defaults.<br />

Strengthening the Financial System | 403

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