Asset Classes

Introducing finer tick sizes for US equities could put a strain on long-only buy-side desks and give an additional edge to high-frequency firms, according to senior traders.

SmartPool, the dark multilateral trading facility operated by exchange group NYSE Euronext, has identified European small- and mid-cap stocks as a target for future expansion.

Equity market activity is tipped to bounce back this year, according to the latest TRADE poll, with almost two thirds of market participants looking forward to a more positive trading environment in 2010.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission will place a focus on the interests of long-term investors as it tries to assess the performance and fairness of the US equities market structure.

Investment bank Nomura’s internal dark pool, NX, has gone live as a multilateral trading facility and connected to Credit Suisse’s Advanced Execution Services division.

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has successfully launched its electronic order book for bonds and has signed three firms to provide market-making services on the new platform.

Equities clearing house European Multilateral Clearing Facility (EMCF) has appointed Deutsche Bank as its settlement agent for central and eastern Europe ahead of pan-European trading platform Nasdaq OMX Europe’s expansion into the region.

The CLS Aggregation Service (CLSAS), a joint-venture post-trade netting system for over-the-counter foreign exchange trades developed by FX settlement provider CLS Group and a unit of interdealer broker ICAP, has gone live.

US bourse BATS Exchange has received regulatory approval from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch its proposed options platform and plans to go live before the end of February.

US agency broker and block crossing system operator Pipeline has added a block equity options crossing capability to its order control system for the buy-side.