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It has more turrets than all but a handful of the world’s largest trading floors. It is supported by the most advanced technology available using nearly 19 miles of high-speed cable to link all its components. And it allows the world’s biggest banks to have the utmost confidence in the performance and reliability of their own trading communications technology.

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A Turret/Dealerboard system is a powerful communication tool with specific capabilities designed to meet the demanding needs of Financial Traders.  It needs to function flawlessly in an environment that is intolerable to failures and any obstacle to increasing revenue.  . 

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If you were asked to name the financial powerhouses of North America, you will no doubt cite the Big Apple and the Windy City. But there are two other cities that are leading financial centers in their own right and appear to be poised for explosive growth – Toronto and Boston.

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The lights were bright; the panelists were eager to spar; and the audience was hostile (not really, but we did stand between them and the refreshments) at the recent FISD Real-Time Technology Roundtable held in Chicago where IPC was one of the sponsors. The objective of our panel was to discuss various perspectives on the topic of achieving, if not improving, the ability for firms to identify alpha capture opportunities given an array of strategies which require increasingly sophisticated – and expensive – technical architectures. Yes, I know it’s a mouthful, but this was our plan, nonetheless.

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History is full of examples of crises triggered by unregulated derivatives trading, with the global financial crisis putting the spotlight on the serious inadequacies of the OTC derivatives market and the risks these contracts present to the broader economy. To mitigate this risk, regulatory initiatives, spearheaded by the G20, are now in place to change how they are traded and cleared.

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Organising an event in Chicago posed certain obstacles but those were far outweighed by the opportunities. I learned that the Chicago market is substantively different from both London and New York, the major bulge bracket firms while no doubt having some presence are not the main cut and thrust of Chicago; smaller and more nimble 'Prop Shops' are the lifeblood of this city. I also discovered that many of these 'Prop Shops' had been founded by ex CME floor traders who wanted to spread their wings a little, and in some cases a lot. Derivatives are what Chicago is best known for and that might have been the original specialty of these creative and adventurous operations, but in 2012 they have a much more diverse portfolio of interests.

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If you’ve been around the world of institutional trading for any period of time you’ve certainly witnessed many changes relating to the use of technology to assist with trading automation. Everyone has these stories, and mine starts back in the early 1990’s on the equities side where everything was a phone call. From placing the order, to getting fill information, to providing account allocations for the block trade. Since that time we’ve witnessed major technology and process improvements across the trade cycle such that when looking in the rear-view mirror the past is just a blur.

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The recent drop in China’s GDP growth has raised concerns with many who hoped the country’s economy would underpin a global financial recovery. For China’s government, the speed at which it becomes a ‘new entrant’ in the global financial markets needs to be balanced by its necessity to protect the region’s economic stability.

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Call it what you will – Return on Investment or a “life lesson” –ROI is what drives both, our daily and strategic decision in life and in business. While there may not a be simple tool to help me determine whether I should buy that red convertible mustang as a cure to my midlife crisis, there is an effective calculator to help you determine whether you should invest in a unified trading communications platform.

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The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) ushered in a new era for the Asian capital markets in February by issuing a consultation paper on the proposed regulation of over the counter (OTC) derivatives.

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