Opinion
Fear and populism
Plummeting stock prices, rising numbers of house foreclosures and steadily growing unemployment rates have led to loud calls for increased regulation. But countries should avoid knee-jerk reactions to the current financial crisis. By Emily Fraser
Interactive hedging
A low-inflation environment and an ageing population proved to be a fatal combination for pure-play bond and equity portfolios - the returns expected by corporate investors simply did not materialise. And so the days of target-based long portfolios have…
The hedge fund bubble
Now that the numbers have come in, it's safe to say that most of us have had better Septembers. By many accounts, worries among hedge fund managers that their investors would opt for redemptions in the face of uglier and uglier market conditions appear…
Happy Birthday, Mifid!
As coverage of the global financial meltdown and the U.S. general election reaches a fever pitch, it's easy to forget that just 12 short months ago, the E.U. rolled out the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid).
Reaching for The Clouds
If you listen to financial technologists willing to speak in public, it sounds as if there is still a debate raging on whether investment banks and other financial institutions should adopt cloud computing. It reminds me of the arguments long ago about…
Get Ready for APFIC
With the financial markets in turmoil, my girlfriend and I last week made our first foray into the commodities markets with the purchase of a diamond. Yes, it's an engagement gift, but it's also an investment that can become an heirloom and an item of…
Whither Exchanges
Now that we have reached the latter half of October, the multilateral trading facility (MTF) space is set to heat up as Bats Europe prepares to go live ( see story, page 11 ) and interdealer broker Icap announced its intention to bring yet another MTF…
Capacity Management: Voices from the Trenches
Today's complexity and enormously competitive requirements to predict and mange scale, quality of service (QoS) and cost, demand a new tooling discipline to truly transform the way we manage capacity, and to take it to the next level. Only by engineering…
Entering Uncharted Waters
Trying to discuss any financial technology issue while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen more than 2,000 points in the past five days of trading is like trying to have a causal conversation over a wailing klaxon: It will be drowned out by…
Next Stop: iTrade?
With the Dow Jones Industrial Average plumbing depths even lower than US political campaigns, how do you keep in touch with fluctuating prices when you're not beside-or can't bear to look at-your data terminal?
But Will It Work?
As DWT went to press, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package. After seeing the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummet more than 700 points after the chamber failed to pass it the first time around, it's nice…
What a Difference a Year Makes
Much of the discussion at last year's European Financial Information Summit centered around how the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive would re-shape the European financial markets. Now, one year on, the markets are certainly seeing unprecedented…
The October Surprise
EDITORS LETTER
Integrating Messaging Standards
IT messaging infrastructures are entering a period of unprecedented change, with integration being the main buzzword. Progress Software's Wayne Meikle explains the reasons behind the latest moves, and what to expect as the industry moves forward
Editor's Letter - Another challenge for the House: Myopia
I was in New York recently for DWT 's and Buy-Side Technology 's Best Execution 2008 event (see related article, this issue).
Keeping mum
Excuse me for a moment: I'm going to talk politics. But I promise to be brief. By Emily Fraser
Short-sighted
It took a seismic shake-up of the US financial services industry and a veritable collapse of the independent investment banking sector in particular, but it seems the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has suddenly - perhaps awkwardly -…
Business Is Still Business
All eyes in the market are turned to the negotiations between the Democrat-led Congress and the Bush administration about a proposed $700 billion bailout of the U.S. economy. But last week, for at least one rainy day in Manhattan, a large number of buy…
Can Emerging Markets Save Wall Street?
Someone suggested to me this week that the city of New York might tear down the statue of a bull that stands on Broadway, not far from Wall Street, to more accurately reflect the current state of the financial markets. In return, I suggested that adding…
Like a Bull to the Slaughter
Whether you fall into the camp that says governments should intervene to protect orderly markets by supporting companies such as AIG that threaten to collapse, or the group that says market forces should be allowed to run their course even if that means…
Darwin in Action
After several quarters of whistling past the graveyard, Wall Street and the global markets have succumbed to all the toxic debt that the market has been generating for the past few years. What does this mean from an IT perspective? Except for the…
Dear Clara and Joe...
Last week, Clara Furse and Joe Ratterman, chief executives of the London Stock Exchange and BATS Trading, which is gearing up to launch an alternative venue in Europe trading LSE-listed stocks, exchanged words via open letters on the state of competition…
Weaving a Market Fabric
The European markets will soon see the number of active multilateral trading facilities (MTFs) more than double and will come a step closer to creating a new European market structure, which industry consultant Bob Giffords dubs "a market fabric." With…