Guest Contributor: Karen Mack, Financial Technologies Forum This past Tuesday, when reading the “This Day in History” section of our local newspaper, I couldn’t help but note that this was the anniversary of the date that the Buttonwood Agreement was signed on May 17, 1792 by 24 Wall Street stockbrokers, marking the official beginning of
Conference and Event Planning
FTF Blows through the Windy City
We recently returned from a trip to Chicago where we held our 3rd Annual Chicago OTC and Exchange Traded Derivatives Ops conference and assisted Aite Group with a trading event; my review of Chicago, Five Stars. Not only is Chicago a great City with impressive architecture and restaurants but its people are some of the
Fun Friday
Do you have Triskaidekaphobia?
Triskaidekaphobia in case you were unaware is a fear of the number 13. Since today, Friday the 13th, is traditionally one of the unluckiest days of the year we thought we would round up a few scary or fun (depending on how you look at things) facts about the day and the number 13. *
Financial Technology
Operational Trading Technology Trends in 2011
Guest Contributor: Martin Hakker, EVP of Marketing, Fidessa and Managing Director, Fidessa Canada Corporation Technology investment is on the rise this year as firms look to capitalize on the new look trading environment. Despite many companies postponing infrastructure projects during the downturn, sophisticated tools with adequate flexibility are required to manage the raft of new
Regulation
What Should a Financial Services Firm’s Top Concern Really Be?
Surveys, studies and whitepapers are released on a frequent basis concerning the top priority of financial services firms in the current market climate. However, these results rarely reflect the same priority as being the “top priority.” This leads me to the question: What should a financial services firm’s main concern really be? Regulation, technology, staffing,
Conference and Event Planning
FTF Takes on Chi-Town
Next week, the FTF team will be leaving New York City for a few days to take on another famous city… Chicago. FTF has been coordinating a few events and training courses that will be taking place in Chicago throughout the next week. Our busy schedule is as follows: Monday, May 9th: – 3rd Annual
Financial Technology
A Battle Royal: Broker vs. Independent – The importance of 3rd Party Pricing Examined
Guest Contributor: Dario Cintioli, Products Director, StatPro The debate between referencing broker pricing or independent pricing has been raging among asset managers in recent years. Broker pricing is often arrived at through the averaging of assets, which can cause a biased valuation. On the other hand, pricing technologies haven’t kept up with the pace of
Cloud
Cloud Computing & Outsourcing
I read an article this week by Bob McDowall of Aite Group asking the reader “is cloud computing taking over Indian outsourcers?” Personally, I think it’s too soon to definitively say that the cloud is a threat to outsourcing as we currently know it, but nonetheless, it’s an interesting thought. Over the next few years,
Fun Friday
Happy Birthday to the Empire State…. Building That Is
All this week, news stations have been broadcasting round-the-clock coverage of the Royal Wedding. This morning, Prince William and Kate happily said their ‘I do’s’, so we thought now it’s time to celebrate something near and dear to New Yorkers’ hearts, the Empire State Building. For those of you who don’t know, the Empire State
Derivatives
Proposed Derivatives Rules: Regulators Going Too Far?
Guest Contributor: John Jay, Senior Analyst, Aite Group The name of the game is derivatives regulation, and financial regulators are asking end users to ante up. While pursuing risk management activities, non-financial firms may be subjected to posting higher collateral requirements with their financial counterparties (i.e., banks) than are currently necessary. In part, these firms
