​Daily Bulletin: Monday Dec. 15

Volatility has been injected into the U.S. markets with the CBOE VIX touching 20 again Monday. Investors were busy hedging via short-dated calls on the index, while also executing puts on SPY as oil continues to weigh on equity markets. Also in the U.S., Natixis is looking to expand its equity team in early 2015. The firm wants to add five sales officials and has already hired a structurer. In Europe, Kieron Smith, global head of equity derivatives and financing trading at the Royal Bank of Scotland in London, has left the firm. According to a spokeswoman at RBS, he is joining BNP Paribas, while Herve Gallo, head of equity absolute return at Société Générale in London, has left the firm.