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Jake Thomases: The Greed for Speed
In recent years, various constituents in the financial services industry have played their part in reducing latency, to a point now where we’re seeing diminishing returns. And as Jake points out, trading firms don’t necessarily need to operate at any pre…
It's All Semantics: Top-Tier Banks Investigate Semantic Technology for Data Management
Semantic technology, while still for the most part in the conceptual phase in the capital markets, is a term that is becoming more than just a whisper inside financial institutions. By Anthony Malakian
Whither Volcker? Firms Brace for Deadline as Delays Anticipated
The Volcker Rule’s deadline for public comment has passed, with a sea of responses from organizations all over the world. Implementation dates are currently debatable, but compliance with the regulation will require structural and technological change…
The Return of Green IT
While it hasn’t gotten the attention it did during the green wave of the mid-2000s, environmentally friendly technology is in place at many of the world’s major financial institutions. Jake Thomases looks at the latest initiatives designed to save the…
March 2012: Wide Awake in India*
Jet-lag didn't slow Victor down during his recent trip to India.
Big Data Is Big Stuff
The phenomenon of Big Data, now a proper noun in its own right, reflects the inexorable growth of data volumes, and the velocity and variety of those volumes, across the financial services industry, presenting market participants with a host of…
Special FX: The Evolution of e-FX Trading
Foreign-exchange trading has changed considerably over the past 10 years. Daily turnover has doubled, spreads have tightened dramatically, and the market has opened up to new entrants as never before. At the heart of this is a shift to electronic trading…
Direct Edge CEO William O'Brien Plans to Go Global
William O’Brien, who once rejected his exchange roots, took over a tiny ECN and grew it into one of the biggest equity exchanges in the world. Now he’s looking at new markets for Direct Edge. By Jake Thomases
Numbers Game: Gauging the Impact of Big Data Part II
In the February issue of Waters, the first part of this feature defined Big Data in terms of volume, variety and velocity. But what does this actually mean for the financial services industry and the technology considerations necessary for dealing with…
Call Auctions: Trading in a New Old-Fashioned Way
Call auctions are one of the oldest forms of stock trading. Plenty of people would like to have an auction option, yet no such system has existed for more than a decade. AX Trading is giving an electronic version another shot. By Jake Thomases
Business Continuity in the Cloud
The cloud offers enhanced IT service availability and flexibility, but customers need to understand their responsibilities in order to achieve this. By Mike Small
Max Bowie: Vote for Democracy—Data Democracy!
In politics and finance alike, incumbents that don’t live up to expectations are shown the door when their terms run out. With abstraction, virtualization and open-source technologies set to facilitate previously complex displacements, Max says vive la…
Michael Shashoua: Selling Fatca Globally
Firms in the US and abroad are beginning to get a clearer picture of what foreign tax withholding regulation will look like, following the release of proposed rules under the law. Yet US regulators can expect varied levels of cooperation from other…
Anthony Malakian: Getting Schooled in Data Quality
After writing a feature on data quality this month, Anthony has some new opinions on the issue of data quality—even if he still knows more about how to bet on horses than solving the industry’s data woes.
James Rundle: The Devil in the Details
The regulatory freight train is rushing full speed ahead in the opening months of 2012, but not without sincere attempts to derail it along the way. As well as that, James says, regulators are making efforts to gain real insight into how the financial…
No Turning Back: Firms Forge Ahead on Data Quality
In light of the global regulatory environment and firms looking to become more efficient while cutting costs, data quality has become a focal point for many technologists. However, the challenges are many and there’s still confusion as to who owns the…
First New York Securities' Jean Hill’s Blank Slate
Manhattan-based proprietary trading firm First New York brought Jean Hill on board to build its infrastructure from the ground up. However, there were several points during her career when it looked as though she was destined for any number of paths but…
February 2012: Is Hardware Sexy Again?
The emphasis is generally on the software side of the business, but Victor argues that hardware is just as sexy.
Hard Coding: The Benefits and Drawbacks of FPGAs
Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are being touted in certain circles as the next wave of technology in the financial services industry, gaining adherents for their ability to perform complex tasks at previously inconceivable speeds. However, with…
Do They Only Like Me for My Algos?
Unlike bulge-bracket firms, mid-tier broker-dealers have to make tough choices about which algorithms to white label and which ones to develop themselves. They want to optimize their value to clients, but aren’t always sure what clients are looking for…
The Case for Automation
IT teams are faced with supporting systems that facilitate high-speed trading where huge amounts of money hang in the balance. Overlooking even the smallest hiccup can bring the whole infrastructure to its knees. How can these increasingly complex…
Max Bowie: Is Your Data Half Empty or Half Full in 2012?
Rising interest in emerging markets and asset classes such as commodities could aid a recovery in the data industry this year. But after several lean years of staff and budget cuts, Max asks whether financial firms have left enough meat on the bone to…
Michael Shashoua: The Rise of Index Fund Data
Exchange-traded funds based on alternative weighted indexes are growing, creating greater demand for handling index data. Michael describes the effects the growth is having on data processing and how firms are thinking about managing increased data…
Anthony Malakian: The Changing of Mores
At times it seems like fund managers give too much credence to hackers, when the real danger lies within. As a result, many hedge funds are not embracing new technological outlets because of long-held beliefs and old habits—habits that Anthony says need…