Hedge Funds put Deutsche Bank under pressure

Deutsche Bank is putting a scare into the financial world Thursday as reports have surfaced of some fund managers cutting exposure to Europe’s largest investment bank.

A Bloomberg report that about 10 hedge funds that clear derivatives trades with Deutsche, including Millennium Partners, Capula Investment Management and Rokos Capital Management, had withdrawn some excess cash and adjusted positions held at the lender because of concerns over its problems, citing an internal document.

Bloomberg said the “vast majority” of the bank’s clients have made no changes, but the report sent Deutsche Bank shares sinking and pulled down the overall market.

A spokesperson for the bank said to agency: “Our trading clients are among the world’s most sophisticated investors. We are confident that the vast majority of them have a full understanding of our stable financial position, the current macro-economic environment, the litigation process in the US and the progress we are making with our strategy.”

Deutsche Bank shares in Frankfurt were at 10.20 euros ($14.97), down 6.0 per cent, while New York-traded shares for the bank were down 6.7 per cent at $US11.48.

“They can last at least two months, more like three months, if no one deals with them,” a London analyst told the Financial Times.

Last week there have been rumours of a German government bailout, but Berlin rejected such speculation: “The government is not preparing rescue plans. There are no grounds for such speculation,” the german finance ministry said Wednesday.