Americas
Robin Wood – From Greenwood Project and University of Illinois to the NFA – World of Opportunity
Robin Wood found the Greenwood Project via a group chat while a student at the University of Illinois and that connection led to an internship and full-time position with the National Futures Association. Wood was interviewed by NFA communications specialist Joseph McCarthy in the offices of John Lothian News for the MarketsWiki Education World of Opportunity video series. She talks about the Greenwood Project and her experiences at NFA, including joining the futures regulator during a pandemic.
Andre Buckles: Working From Home – MWE World of Opportunity
Andre Buckles is the executive director of talent recruitment at the OCC. He spoke to John Lothian News for the MarketsWiki Education World of Opportunity video series about the work from home environment and how to make it work. He offered insights as an engaged worker in a remote working world. He spoke about six different ways to be engaged in a virtual environment.
The Spread – July 16, 2021
Options traders torn between higher Inflation and steady Fed policy; June market share up at MIAX; John Lothian talks about a World of Opportunity; SEC charges binary options shop with fraud; Moscow Exchange set to offer quarterly options on U.S. stock index futures; and the Options Institute’s Kevin Davitt talks about implied volatility in the “Term of the Week.”
Meaghan Dugan Cooks Up a Stellar Path to Electronic Trading
NYSE executive Meaghan Dugan always worked in kitchens as a youth and had dreams of becoming a famous chef. She even earned a degree in culinary science. However, instead of donning a poofy cap for a career as a chef, she pursued a career in the markets at the Pacific Stock Exchange and wore a colorful jacket.
Tim Brennan Took the Leap to a New Frontier of Trading
Tim Brennan did not know what he wanted to do after graduating from a small liberal arts college with a degree in psychology. As with many other traders from this era, his mom had a friend who could get him a job as a runner at the Chicago Board Options Exchange.
Alex Lamb Aways Landed Amid Opportunity In Early Years Of European Futures Trading – Part 2
Alex Lamb pursued one opportunity after another in the burgeoning financial futures markets in Europe starting in the mid-1970s, then later with technology providers to markets around the world that migrated to electronic formats. After he hired Gary Kemp as a programmer to connect GMI and DTB and then develop a front-end screen that turned into Trading Technologies’ desktop offering, Kemp returned the favor and hired Lamb at TT.
The Spread – July 9, 2021
Chicago, a data destination; SEC, Robinhood and payment for order flow; John Lothian weighs in with his take; Retail trading continues to percolate; and Cboe’s Kevin Davitt explains the differences between equity and index options in the “Term of the Week.”
The Spread – July 2, 2021
Finra socks Robinhood with its biggest-ever fine; Cboe acquires Chi-X Asia Pacific; OCC reports another volume gain; NIO takes its cue from options; John Lothian weighs in with his take; Looking for volatility; and Jermal Chandler explains hedging in the options “Term of the Week.”
John Walls – The Path to Electronic Trading
John Walls is an executive with ADM Investor Services, but he started in the industry like many others of his generation as a trading floor messenger or runner. As a runner on the MidAmerica Commodity Exchange trading floor working for Shatkin Trading, Walls took advantage of nearly every opportunity he was presented with to learn all the different aspects of the markets and futures industry.
The Innovator’s Dilemma Meets Fertik’s Law
The late author and Harvard professor Clayton Christensen coined the phrase “the innovator’s dilemma” in his popular book by the same name. In the book he describes why some well-run companies lose their dominant market position through the entrance of a competitor with a disruptive technology.
He uses as an example the personal computer and its smaller, slower disc drives, which disrupted “big iron” mainframe computers by offering a cheaper solution that was good enough.
The CME Group’s dominant market position in the U.S. futures market, which some classify as a monopoly, has spawned two separate challengers built on the model of the innovator’s dilemma. The Small Exchange and the Fair Exchange are seeking to disrupt the CME’s dominant position, or at least carve out a place of their own in the U.S. futures market landscape.
The Back Office Headaches from Big Volume and How to Manage Them
Daniel Carpenter is the head of sales at Meritsoft, a Cognizant company. John Lothian News interviewed Carpenter about the problems created by high-volume trading from banks, brokerages and other institutions, including how a company tracks the different fees it is paying or collecting from various trades.
The Small Exchange Scores a First With Cannabis Equity Index Futures Contract
The Small Exchange is known for its bite-size futures products aimed at retail customers, including the Small U.S. Dollar, Small Stocks 75 and Small Precious Metals contracts. Its latest product, which was launched on Monday, fits that bill, but Small Cannabis Equity Index futures also make their mark in another way — as the first cannabis-related futures to trade in the U.S.
Walt Lukken and Nick Solinger Explain FIA Tech Investor Deal
FIA Tech announced yesterday a deal to take on 10 global banks as investors in the company in order to grow the for-profit FIA-affiliated firm. John Lothian interviewed FIA Chairman and CEO Walt Lukken and FIA Tech President and CEO Nick Solinger over Zoom about the deal.
Robin Trott – The Path to Electronic Trading Part Two
In Part Two of Robin Trott – The Path to Electronic Trading, Trott talked about how block trade and call-around markets developed in Europe. Platforms were rushing to write to all of the individual European markets. There were a large number of them back then.
Robin Trott – The Path to Electronic Trading Part One
Robin Trott started out as an undergrad studying philosophy and politics, but it was the peak of the dotcom bust and he realized that wasn’t very practical. So he got a Master’s degree and got on the technology and operations graduate scheme at JP Morgan.
John Lothian Newsletter
Today's Newsletter
Crypto Nomads: Surfing the World for Risk and Profit
First Read $51,906/$300,000 (17.3%) ++++ Hits & Takes John Lothian & JLN Staff The STA is holding the 88th Annual Market Structure Conference in person on October 6-8 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC with the title "The Great Return." That is a very good...
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JLN Options Newsletter
Today’s Newsletter
How Options Trading Is Driving Up Stocks—and Driving Them Down
Lead Stories How Options Trading Is Driving Up Stocks—and Driving Them Down Andrew Bary - Barron's Options trading by retail investors may account for the strength in the S&P 500 during the morning this year and weakness in the afternoon. The S&P 500 is up 9%...
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