Opinion
Markit under DOJ microscope
The US government's ongoing efforts to rein in unregulated OTC derivatives may have landed credit market and pricing data provider Markit in hot water - or at least caused an operational headache - just as the firm is set to launch its new MarktiSERV…
Bells and whistles
Finally, it seems like the internet innovations of the past couple of years are trickling through into financial applications. There has recently been a big push among client-facing financial organisations to provide richer, better tools to their buy…
To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn
If recent weeks had an oldies theme song, it would be a toss-up between "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by Pete Seeger and David Bowie's "Changes." This past week saw three acquisition announcements: NYSE Technologies' purchase of Nyfix ( see story, this issue ),…
'Dex Appeal
Though sophisticated traders might eschew investments based on indexes, current markets have prompted a flight to safety in indexes and exchange-traded funds, resulting in a frenzy of new activity in the index space. Indexes also continue to be in demand…
Patent Lather
Many great things start life as obscure documents in a patent office. Even Albert Einstein began his career as a clerk in the Bern patent office. However, you don't need to be a genius to figure out why a series of patent lawsuits filed recently in a…
The Dog Days of Summer
As an employee working in the U.S., one thing I have always envied about workers in Europe is their sane idea of closing up shop in August and going on vacation. Nothing good ever seems to sprout for firms during the hottest part of the summer. The…
Is ‘Flashing' Just Indecent Exposure?
Recent controversy over the use of "flash" orders and their potential to give some market participants a sneak peek at liquidity before it is displayed publicly last week prompted some exchanges to withdraw their flash functionality, possibly to pre-empt…
Tear Down the Silos
The evolution of IT in the banking industry is driven by the constant pressures of financial innovation and regulatory compliance. In combination with IT vendors plying their wares, this has led to the widely recognized problem of information silos,…
Tame, Don't Kill, the Beast
Turn on any news channel or pick up any newspaper, and you would think that high-frequency trading is the greatest plague to afflict human beings since the Black Death. If I see another elected official discuss the elimination of high-velocity trading, I…
The New Reality
Open Platform
Code Theft Fallout
EDITOR’S LETTER
A Flash in the Pan?
OPINION
Summer in the City
OPINION
Time for a Standards Strategy
Collaboration over standards is on the rise, and recurring issues are being tackled, but a centralised strategic approach could be the more appropriate solution, says London Market Systems' Martin Sexton
Time for a Standards Strategy
Collaboration over standards is on the rise, and recurring issues are being tackled, but a centralised strategic approach could be the more appropriate solution, says London Market Systems' Martin Sexton
Editor's Letter - Bureaucracy waiting to happen?
Dark pools have become such an integral and important part of the buy side that I guess it was only a matter of time before the regulators got stuck in. Last month, Mary Schapiro, chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), indicated that…
The cap-and-trade tirade
From financial reform to healthcare and war, it seems no issue will escape scrutiny and revision in the US this year. But it is energy policy, and in particular emissions management, that a number of hedge funds and other trading desks are keeping their…
An overdue shake-up?
Ever since Buy-Side Technology and its forerunner, Hedge Fund & Investment Technology, first started covering dark pools more than a few years ago, we've consistently heard two major themes voiced by investment managers, consultants and vendors.
Regroup, restructure, recover
Technology spending has slumped over the past year as a result of the slowdown in the financial services industry and the ensuing global recession. But, as MFT's David White argues, now is the time for buy-side firms to use technology spending as a…
The Center of Attention
Although low-latency has made mainstream headlines recently, thanks to a New York Times story on high-frequency trading, the most cutting-edge, low-latency trading strategies depend on the relatively un-sexy subject of co-location-installing firms'…
Getting That Second Wind
Operators of the Equiduct multilateral trading facility (MTF) are feeling a bit better now that Citadel Securities has taken a majority stake in the venue and guaranteed operating capital to keep it in business for at least the next two years (see story,…
The Human Factor
With the growth of algorithmic trading in recent years, some have feared a Terminator-style "rise of the machines" in financial markets, relegating human beings to obsolescence. Couple this with increased overall automation and the swathe of job cuts…
Have Trench Coat, Will Travel
Maybe it's because I'm watching a film adaptation of John le Carré's espionage novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, or maybe it's because summer is here and Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum novels are perfect beach reading material, but for some reason I have…