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Tech trends in 2024
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READ MOREViewpoint – Treasury clearing, portfolio margining and white whales
There are tales in literature and lore of protagonists who obsess over certain quests but who are never able to obtain their elusive capture. For King Arthur, it was the Holy Grail. For Ahab, it was Moby Dick. For Casey’s at bat, it was the homerun. And for me, it’s portfolio margining of cash and futures in the US Treasury market. With the recent mandate by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to clear certain treasuries and repos, this goal is again coming into focus.
Viewpoint
1 March 2024
Viewpoint – Brokers and exchanges ramp up resources for retail traders
Retail trading is one of the fastest growing dimensions of the exchange-traded derivatives markets. This trend picked up speed during the pandemic, and it shows no signs of slowing down. According to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, US retail trading volume in futures contracts now averages about 50% higher than the pre-pandemic era.
Read MoreLatest News
Mutual funds have increased their holdings of US Treasury futures by 67% since 2020, according to Fed analysis
Mutual funds have dramatically increased their holdings of US Treasury futures over the last three years as they have adjusted to a higher interest rate environment and used the leverage embedded in futures to boost their returns, according to research by staffers at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
CONTINUE READINGUS lawmaker presses banking regulators on derivatives clearing issue
An influential member of the US House of Representatives is pressing US banking regulators to address concerns expressed by derivatives end-users about the proposed increase in bank capital requirements that will increase the cost of clearing.
CONTINUE READINGUS options industry leaders wrestle with constraints on growth
Investors are flocking to so-called "zero day" options and investors are calling for longer trading hours so they can trade in the evenings and on weekends. Both trends could lead to further growth in trading volumes, but at a cost. Industry executives warn that longer trading hours will increase the operational burden on brokers, clearing firms, market makers and exchanges. The same challenge arises with adding more expirations to support the zero day trend; the industry is already dealing with a huge number of contracts and adding more will put further strain on its capacity.
CONTINUE READINGPremium turnover in Indian options hits $150 billion
In March, the turnover in index options on NSE India was equivalent to 61% of the turnover in index options on CBOE, Nasdaq and other US options exchanges. When ETF options are included, the NSE India turnover was equivalent to 43% of the comparable contracts in the US.
CONTINUE READINGCFTC advances event contract proposal in contentious meeting
On 10 May, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission voted 3-2 to advance a highly anticipated and contentious proposed rule regarding event contracts. The proposed rule advanced with the support of CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam and Commissioners Kristin Johnson and Christy Goldsmith Romero. Republican Commissioners Summer Mersinger and Caroline Pham raised significant concerns about the proposal during an open meeting and opposed the proposed rule.
CONTINUE READINGExchange leaders caution options industry on zero day expansion plans
Senior executives for two of the largest market operators in the US options industry sounded a note of caution on the boom in the trading of options with zero days to expiration, saying that brokers and exchanges should carefully consider the costs and benefits before extending this trend into single stock options.
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