New York Times (April 17)
A new front is opening “in the war over how cryptocurrency will — or will not — be regulated.” Although “Cryptocurrencies are still mostly held as speculative assets,” they could “become fundamental parts of the financial system. To many, Coinbase’s successful debut, which valued the company at $86 billion, far more than operators of stock and bond exchanges, is a signal that this transformation is already well underway.” The success of that IPO could “invite more attention from regulators.”
Tags: Bond, Coinbase, Cryptocurrency, Exchanges, Financial system, IPO, Regulated, Signal, Speculative assets, Stock, Successful, Transformation, War
Institutional Investor (October 2)
The Securities Exchange Commission is conducting a pilot program to determine whether a wider tick range will help drive liquidity and research, while reducing volatility. “Proponents believe a wider spread–$0.05, instead of the current $0.01 on exchanges—will lead to more displayed liquidity and thus an easier trading regime.” Over the next two years, 400 stocks will trade at the widened tick, while 1,200 stocks will serve as a control and two other groups of 400 stocks will test the effects of other variations.
Institutional Investor (July 4)
Post-Brexit “uncertainty has smacked executives at the London Stock Exchange Group and Deutsche Börse in the face. Europe’s two leading exchange operators are pressing ahead with their proposed $30 billion merger even though the referendum result poses a huge and uncertain political risk to the deal’s completion.”
Tags: Brexit, Deutsche Börse, Exchanges, LSE, Merger, Political risk, Uncertainty
Bloomberg (July 7)
As bad as China’s stock market rout is, things could be even worse. “Chinese companies have found a guaranteed way to prevent investors from selling their shares: suspend trading. Almost 200 stocks halted trading after the close on Monday, bringing the total number of suspensions to 745, or 26 percent of listed firms on mainland exchanges.” Valued at $1.4 trillion, the suspended shares account for 21 percent of China’s market capitalization. “If not for the halts, a 28 percent plunge in the Shanghai Composite Index from its June 12 peak would probably be even deeper.”
Tags: China, Exchanges, Market-cap, Rout, Shanghai Composite, Stock market, Suspension, Trading
Global Investor (February Issue)
“Initial public offerings (IPOs) in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are gathering momentum, with a burgeoning pipeline of deals and renewed optimism of further supply stretching into the future.” Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul Exchange is predicted to be the region’s most active, followed by the Dubai Financial Market, Qatar Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Exchange. “However, some of these companies could look to the London Stock Exchange due to its wider access to international investors. The dearth of liquidity in regional compared with global exchanges remains a challenge for local IPOs.”
Tags: Abu Dhabi Exchange, Dubai Financial Market, Exchanges, Global, Investors, IPOs, Liquidity, LSE, Middle East, Momentum, North Africa, Pipeline, Qatar Exchange, Regional, Saudi Arabia, Supply, Tadawul Exchange
Chicago Tribune (June 23)
“The rollout of Obamacare later this year is likely to bring a rate shock for many Americans who will buy health insurance from state marketplaces known as exchanges.” How much of a shock remains unknown as many implementation deadlines have been missed. Whether the rollout is a complete train wreck remains to be seen, but “this is not going to be a smooth ride.”
Institutional Investor (February 14, 2012)
With “engines running at speeds faster than the eye can see,” a constant arms race is taking place in “the high-tech machinery of modern financial markets.” The Singapore Exchange (SGX) illustrates this race. SGX utilizes technology solutions from Nasdaq OMX with the goal of running “the fastest bourse in the world, with transaction speeds well under 100 microseconds.”With “engines running at speeds faster than the eye can see,” a constant arms race is taking place in “the high-tech machinery of modern financial markets.” The Singapore Exchange (SGX) illustrates this race. SGX utilizes technology solutions from Nasdaq OMX with the goal of running “the fastest bourse in the world, with transaction speeds well under 100 microseconds.”
Tags: Exchanges, Financial markets, SGX, Transaction speed
Bloomberg (February 14)
The proposed merger of Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext is “more desperation than love.” When NYSE merged with Euronext in June 2007, the two companies executed 64% of all trades in NYSE-listed stocks and ETFs. By January 2011, the figure had dropped to 33.9%. There is little to guarantee this newest merger proposal will be any more successful in reviving the fortunes of either exchange.
Tags: Desperation, Deutsche Börse, Exchanges, NYSE Euronext
