“Thomas Hayes, a former trader on trial over charges he manipulated benchmark rates, told prosecutors in 2013 that UBS Group AG distributed “an instruction manual on fixing Libor” to suit their trading positions.
The Swiss bank’s e-mailed “Guide to Publishing Libor Rates,” which was shown to jurors by prosecutors in London Thursday, included an instruction for traders to adjust their submissions depending on their “delta/fixing position.”
“If 3m Libor” exposure “is 4,125 this means we are receiving” and “therefore we want to increase the fixing by 25 basis points,” according to the internal UBS guide. “If the number is negative then vice-versa.”
Hayes, the first person to stand trial for allegedly manipulating the London interbank offered rate, told prosecutors the document was evidence that Libor-rigging was standard operating procedure during his time at UBS.”
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