Overview

This document applies to all releases of Eagle software. Version-dependent functionality is noted with the initial release(s) it became available.

Variance and Volatility Swaps (VVSs) allow investors to speculate on the volatility, or magnitude of movement, of a given underlying reference against a volatility strike. This can be the price of an index, FX rate, interest rate, or just about any other reference that has a measurable level. Cash is settled based on the difference between the actual volatility vs. the established strike level. Another flavor, called a Dispersion Swap, allows investors to go long (buy) or short (sell) the volatility associated with an index and take the opposite position on particular components of that index. This document covers the full lifecycle including Accounting, Data Management, and Performance.

There are two models available for VVS depending on your current Eagle release.

V17 R2.27 & Above: use OPOPSW. This allows you to price positive and negative, in addition to holding the position long or short, which provides maximum flexibility for VVS trading. The SWCDCO model can also be used if preferred.
Prior to V17 R2.27: use SWCDCO. This allows you to price positive and negative, but the position is always held long.

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Swaptions Best Practices

Pay special attention to underlined sections, as these highlight the most frequently encountered issues. Bold is used for navigation, modules, and screens. Italics are used for fields, tables, and errors. Fixed width indicates values for fields or code/text that should be entered. Tags are shown in parentheses (#) after field names.

Entity Setup

Before any trades can be booked, the target entity must be set up appropriately.

OPOPSW Entity Setup

Entities trading Options need two specific pieces of data, which can be populated using Create/Edit Entity.

Net Option Positions (639)
- No: long and short positions in the same contract are held separately, with units always positive in Eagle Accounting
  - Short positions have negative units in Data Management
  - Transaction elections are Buy, Write, Sell, and BuytoCover
- Yes: long and short positions in the same contract are netted together, allowing a trade to cross zero and bring the position from long to short or vice versa
  - Short positions are represented by negative units in both Eagle Accounting and Data Management
  - Transaction elections are Buy and Sell
Options and Futures Expiration Delay Days (12101): number of days to delay automatic expiration
- When NULL or zero, Eagle Accounting will auto-expire the Option on expiration date
- When populated, the expiration event can only be processed on the adjusted date
  - Example: if Options and Futures Expiration Delay Days = 3 and expiration date = 2022-01-21, the expiration can only be processed on 2022-01-24

SWCDCO Entity Setup

Entities trading swaps require a few specific pieces of data, which can be populated using Create/Edit Entity (V17) or Add/Change Entity (prior to V17).

Swap Accrual Method (1184): controls whether accruals are posted to Income/Expense or Unrealized ledger accounts (has no effect on cash or valuation)
Variable Rate Source (3301): specifies the source from which underlying floating rates will be pulled
- If you receive an Expected number of underlying rates not found error, confirm the rates loaded to your underlying index match this source
Primary Amortization/Accretion Rule (3197): must be straight line (DEFAULTSL), straight line actual (DEFAULTSLA), or none (DEFAULTNONE)
- If it is set to anything else, a security-level amortization/accretion rule must be established specifying one of the three above
Accrual Convention Offset (12038): leave the default of Settlement Date for standard accrual processing, or set to Settlement Date + 1 to put accrual calculations on a one-day delay (common in Canada)
- When set to Settlement Date + 1, it can be overridden at trade time using Accrual Convention Offset Override (1604)

Swaps cannot be traded technical short even if Tech Short Eligible Indicator (57) is set to Yes.

Reference Data

Storage & Configuration

Both OPOPSW/SWCDCO security master files (SMFs) have single rows in Data Management. Security Type (82) and Sub Security Type (1464) can be used to distinguish VVS from regular OPOPSW/SWCDCO. In V17 R2.28, a dedicated security field named Variance/Volatility Swap (18275) was added to further identify VVS.

Market Data

Both models provide familiar processing workflows that also aligns with VVS pricing in the market. Both models use par-zero pricing, which allows positive and negative prices to be entered directly. Par-zero pricing also allows for extreme price fluctuations, which would be capped if using par-based/percentage pricing.

There should be no price manipulation required for the OPOPSW model. When using the SWCDCO model for Dispersion Swaps, you may need to flip the price from positive to negative, or vice versa, because SWCDCO are always held long in Eagle.

Security Data

VVS can be setup and maintained using Issue Viewer, Security Reference Manager (SRM), or Reference Data Center (RDC). The list below contains all fields required to configure a VVS SMF.

OPOPSW Security Data

Issue Name (961)
Primary Asset ID (14) & Type (1432)
Processing Security Type (3931) = OPOPSW (Swaptions)
Price Multiplier (18): 1.00 is most common for VVS, but 0.01 may be correct depending on your price source
Contract Size (19): typically 1.00 for VVS
Issue Country (1418)
Asset Currency (85)
Expiration Date (38): date when Eagle Accounting will automatically mature the VVS, unless the entity-level Options and Futures Expiration Delay Days field has been populated
Strike Price (67): used for reference/reporting purposes, not required for processing
Option Type (1142): any value can be selected because the exercise/assignment process is not used for VVS
Underlying Security (1347): if you set up the index SMF ahead of time, you can add it here for reference purposes

SWCDCO Security Data

Issue Name (961)
Primary Asset ID (14) & Type (1432)
Unique Product (1955) & Swap Identifier (1958, V12.1.2 and above)
Processing Security Type (3931) = SWCDCO (Credit Default Swaps)
Security (82) & Sub Security Type (1464): can be used to distinguish VVS from regular SWCDCO
Price Multiplier (18): 1.00 is most common for VVS, but 0.01 may be correct depending on your price source
Issue Country (1418)
Asset Currency (85)
Buy/Sell Indicator (1364): required for securities using the SWCDCO model, but has no impact on Accounting for VVS; can be used to denote buying or selling the variance/volatility
- Buy: long exposure to variance/volatility
- Sell: short exposure to variance/volatility (typically the broker side or party writing the contract)
Coupon (70) = 0.00
- This suppresses income accruals
Coupon Type (97) = F (Fixed Rate)
Day Count Basis (471) = ACT/360
Payment Frequency (472) = MAT (At Maturity)
Business Day Convention (1536) = NONE
Issue Date (68): first trade date of the swap
Dated Date (1183): "Effective Date" in ISDA contracts; typically same as Issue Date for VVS
First Coupon Date (473) = Maturity Date
Last Coupon Date (474) = Maturity Date
Maturity Date (38): "Final Observation Date," "Expiration Date," or "Termination Date" in ISDA contracts
Cleared Security (5027) = No

Trade Processing

OPOPSW Open & Close

The fields below are used for both opens and closes.

Contracts (40): notional amount of the VVS
Price Per Contract (45): multiplied by Contracts, Contract Size, and Price Multiplier (18) to calculate the premium
- Can be positive, negative, or zero
Commission Per Contract (971): multiplied by Contracts to calculate Commission Amount Local (47), which is factored into the Net Amount fields
Tax Amount (46), SEC Fee (48), Stamp Duty Tax (51), & Other Fee (3752): added to the premium and commission to generate the total net amount
Broker (88)

	Open > Long	Open > Short	Close > Long	Close > Short
Event Type (55)	`BUY`	`WRITE`	`SELL`	`BUYCVR`
Long-Short Indicator (15)	L (LONG)	S (SHORT)	L (LONG)	S (SHORT)
Net Option Positions (639) = `No`	Creates a long position (long with positive quantity).	Creates a short position (short with positive quantity).	Closes (partially or fully) a previously established long position.	Closes (partially or fully) a previously established short position.
Net Option Positions (639) = `Yes`	Creates a long position (long with positive quantity) or closes a previously established short position (long with negative quantity).	N/A	Creates a short position (long with negative quantity) or closes a previously established long position (long with positive quantity)	N/A

SWCDCO Open (event type: CDSOPEN)

Trades are entered using the Book Trade module once the entity and reference data have been configured. Enter the appropriate entity, security identifier, and trade 35)/settle (37) dates and click Submit to query for the security. Right-click it and select Open > Open Swap Contract. The list below contains all fields required to book a VVS trade.

Traded Interest/Effective Date (2857): date accruals begin in Accounting; leave default value as there is no impact for VVS
Select Values to be Calculated by STAR (7000) = Calculate None
Data Entry Method (10485): we recommend Enter Price for simplicity, but either method can be used as VVS are typically opened at zero with no upfront payment
- Refer to the Trade Processing section of Credit Default Swaps (CDS) Best Practices for information about the different elections
Notional Principal Value (40): contract notional
Price (45): typically 0.00 for VVS
Total Settlement Amount (4404, if applicable): typically 0.00 for VVS
- Only required if Data Entry Method = Enter Total Settlement Amount
Broker (88)
Counterparty (1144, optional): the counterparty can be selected from a list of all Issuers that have been tagged as counterparties (see Setting Up Legal Entities Best Practices for more information)

SWCDCO Close (event type: SELL)

The Book Trade module should also be used to process both full and partial terminations. Enter the same identifiers as the open to query for the security. Right-click it and select Close > Close Swap Contract. All fields on the close are the same as the open, except Lot Selection Method (27). OPOPSW can be closed using any option. SWCDCO can be closed using either FIFO or IDLOT.

Cancel & Rebook

Faulty VVS transactions can be cancelled and rebooked using the Cancel & Rebook Trade module, which will also replay the full lifecycle of the position. Alternatively, trades can be cancelled using Cancel Trade, with the transaction rebooked using the Book Trade module.

Accounting

Once a VVS position has been established it will be picked up in Eagle’s global workflow. Accounting valuation is calculated when posting unrealized gain/loss and Data Management valuation is calculated in STAR to PACE. These can be scheduled or triggered manually.

V17 & Above: Accounting Center > Processing and Exceptions > Global Processes
- Accounting Valuation: Unrealized Gain Loss Entries > Post Daily Fund Unrealized Gain Loss-Position
- Data Management Valuation: Eagle STAR to Eagle PACE Direct Processing > Transfer Data - Batch
Prior to V17: Global Process Center
- Accounting Valuation: Unrealized Gain Loss Entries > Post Daily Fund Unrealized Gain Loss-Position
- Data Management Valuation: STAR to PACE Direct Processing > Transfer Data - Batch

Valuation

Due to the broad universe of calculations underlying different flavors of VVSs, Eagle requires clean unit prices to generate accurate valuations. Eagle does not calculate the variance/volatility/dispersion based on underlying price/index/rate levels. The price loaded into Eagle, when multiplied by the notional and Price Multiplier, should equal the expected market value of the VVS.

VVSs can be priced both positive and negative.

Market Disruption Events

Please contact Instrument Engineering for more information about processing these events.

Reporting

STAR to PACE (S2P)

Almost all reports in Eagle leverage data from Data Management, which is populated by the S2P process. This will be scheduled as part of the daily workflow, but can also be triggered manually as described in the Accounting section.

The S2P process creates a single row for each VVS in the POSITION, POSITION_DETAIL, TRADE, and CASH_ACTIVITY tables. The MARKET_VALUE_INCOME column captures the total market value, inclusive of price fluctuations and period-to-date accruals payable or receivable.

Accounting Reports

Eagle has a core set of accounting reports that can be used to review VVS and other security information. These are designed to support the daily operational workflow for business users, allowing Grid Reports to be easily exported to Excel and customized to provide additional details as needed. Advanced Reports are intended to be client-facing and do not provide the same level of customization.

Insurance Reporting

To categorize derivatives for insurance reporting, such as the Schedule DB, Derivative Elections (56) must be set to Hedging Effective, Hedging Other, Income Generation, Replications, or Other on all trades. Leaving the default of Trade will prevent the transaction from appearing on insurance reports.

Data Management Reporting

General Reporting (Eagle OLAP)

OLAP reports provide the maximum level of customization, allowing any column in Data Management to be pulled into a report. These go beyond the Eagle Accounting Grid Reports because they are not limited by core queries, can support multiple sources and various types of calculations, and provide drill-down functionality based on user-defined groupings.

Performance

The performance toolkit calculates market value-based performance for VVSs using data supplied by the S2P process. However, this can be misleading because swaps use notional values and typically start with a market value of zero. Exposure-based analyses, which can be implemented using Eagle Enrichment, calculate more accurate returns. Package content is available for SWCDCO, which may be applicable to VVS, but there is no package content specific to VVS. Please contact Instrument Engineering to discuss implementation for VVS.

Automation

VVS security master files (SMFs) and trades can be loaded through the standard Message Center streams following the OPOPSW or SWCDCO model. The SMF must be loaded prior to the trade (trades do not spawn SMFs). Refer to Supported Generic Interfaces V17 for more information.

Variance & Volatility Swaps (VVS) Best Practices