NYSE/DB – why Brussels got it wrong
Not much surprise at this week’s news then, but the rationale for blocking the deal seems odd. Firstly, and whatever they may claim, Brussels did take an overly Eurocentric view. Just call the CME in Chicago and ask where Liffe and Eurex appear on its list of major competitors. Secondly, the Commission claims that LIFFE and EUREX themselves compete but, in fact, they are effectively... Read More
Tobin, or not Tobin – that is the question
Well at least it is in France, as reports seem to confirm that its finance minister is enthusiastically pushing ahead with a unilateral Tobin-style tax on equities, bonds and derivatives trading. It’s a shame that the proponents of such a tax don’t seem to have done even a basic amount of homework. The original idea introduced by Nobel Laureate economist James Tobin was conceived... Read More
Size matters
An industry colleague pointed me towards an interesting YouTube video the other day that helps illustrate the importance of tick size in the global battle between primary and alternative trading venues. The video is from an alternative venue (or PTS) in Japan called SBI Japannext which, together with Chi-X Japan, is continuing to grow its market share of the Nikkei 225. The two... Read More
Too early to tell?
Hope you like the new dedicated Australia page on the Frag website. Even if you’re not directly interested in antipodean fragmentation, Australia will provide a particularly pure data set for what is fast becoming a global phenomenon. This is because (right now at least) there is only one primary and one alternative venue. It’s too early to draw any meaningful conclusions... Read More
The rain in Spain stays mainly on the BME
Interesting contrast last week where the LSE’s market share of the FTSE 100 fell definitively below 50% whilst at the same time BME’s market share in the IBEX 35 remained stubbornly close to 100%. Both markets are in Europe – check. Both are subject to the MiFID directive – check. Both have significant levels of liquidity – check. So what is going on? The difference... Read More
Market data and the prisoner’s dilemma
The prisoner’s dilemma is an aspect of game theory that shows why two individuals might not agree, even if it appears that it’s best to do so. In its simplest version, two prisoners have to decide whether to assist or betray one another. If they co-operate then they both receive relatively light punishments, whereas a betrayal by one prisoner means that the other is severely... Read More
Divided we stand, united we fall
To say that it has been a turbulent time in global equities markets is something of an understatement, but the European picture provides some interesting pointers to the bigger geopolitical debate that’s going on. A couple of events in particular caught my attention. First, there was the ban on short-selling in banking stocks imposed by France, Italy, Spain and Belgium and the... Read More
European fragmentation in focus
It’s been interesting to watch the European MTFs jockeying for position over the summer. Seems like Chi-X is continuing to grow its market share of all European indices fairly steadily, whilst the relative market shares of Bats Europe and the LSE’s Turquoise could be starting to invert. This could possibly be down to Turquoise’s spangly new matching platform attracting the... Read More
Australia joins the global fragmentation movement
I was a guest last week to mark the opening of the Australian Liquidity Centre which is not, as you might think, the latest trendy Sydney nightspot. Instead it’s the name chosen by ASX for its impressive new co-location facility and represents the exchange’s latest move to meet the imminent opening up of equities trading Down Under. The transfer of market supervision from... Read More
Too close to call – er maybe not then
So the LSE/TMX deal is no more – it is deceased, it is an ex deal. Last night the LSE broke off talks with Canada’s TMX group as it became obvious that their proposed merger was never going to get the required support of TMX shareholders. So, if you include recent events in Australia, the latest score is National Self Interest 2 – Common Sense nil. So, what now... Read More
