Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Regulation.
The little word, that’s done a lot to the capital markets industry. It’s also a word that has changed the nature of how financial markets participants communicate, report and trade. The trade lifecycle now involves more participants – not only because of the need for more transparency – but firms, both on the buy and sell sides need to continue to differentiate their services to remain competitive.
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
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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