Thomson Reuters debuts Datastream Professional data service
Thomson Reuters has launched its Datastream Professional tool, designed to provide a tighter integration between macroeconomic research and fundamental analysis.
The product combines the financial database Datastream with real-time market data, global news from Reuters and analytical tools in a single solution. Datastream Professional aims to make it easier to identify global developments and target the right assets, sectors and countries to invest in.
The platform’s search tool provides ranking and filtering across all time-series and suggests links to relevant content, allowing the user to navigate and explore the range of data to identify their needs, including news, indices, analytics or macroeconomics. It also includes charting and correlation analysis, making it easier to examine relationships and trends between assets.
“Datastream Professional is a major leap forward for the investment community and is designed to deliver the content, analytics and tools they need to spot opportunities quickly and test theories with greater confidence,” said Neil Masterson, managing director, investors, Thomson Reuters.
Empaxis introduces overnight process monitoring for buy-side firms
Back-office services provider Empaxis has launched its overnight process monitoring (OPM) service for hedge funds and other investment advisory firms.
The service is designed to monitor and validate all processes for firms that are running Axys, APX and Geneva applications. It aims to ensure that all systems are monitored overnight, validated as successful or unsuccessful, repaired if they fail, and handed off directly to clients or third-party vendors before the start of the following business day.
“With the industry moving at such a rapid pace, it is imperative that fund managers do not experience any unnecessary delays that may occur overnight,” said Stephen Van de Wetering, CEO of Empaxis. “Encountering these types of delays can thwart the progress of an entire day’s work. The Empaxis overnight process monitoring service was developed specifically to solve that problem.”
Direct Edge introduces historical trade and quote data service
US equities exchange operator Direct Edge has launched EdgeBook Cloud, a suite of on-demand services that provide depth-of-book historical trade and quote data from Direct Edge’s two national securities exchanges – EDGA Exchange and EDGX Exchange.
The dataset is delivered via cloud services provider Xignite’s technology platform. It is designed to support market analysis, back-testing and compliance review. The data suite includes EdgeBook Replay, EdgeBook Flex Download and EdgeBook Snapshot and is designed to provide deep data queries that can be easily integrated with end-user systems, without the burden of storing mass quantities of data.
“Our goal is to make EdgeBook Cloud the most comprehensive and intuitive market data product available,” said Kevin Carrai, head of connectivity and member services at Direct Edge. “Unlike other services on the market, EdgeBook Cloud provides complete proprietary book data where users can quickly obtain the specific information they need, when they need it.”
Bloomberg Tradebook opts for Broadridge outsourcing solution
Bloomberg Tradebook has chosen the consolidated business process outsourcing (BPO) offered by technology services company Broadridge Financial Solutions to support Bloomberg’s equity and option clearance and settlement business.
The agreement is designed to help Bloomberg Tradebook minimise its fixed-cost investment in technology and operational infrastructure while creating new revenue-generating opportunities as it transitions from its current fully-disclosed clearing model to self-clearing.
Broadridge’s customisable BPO solution will provide all back-office operations and support on a global scale.
“Broadridge’s BPO model is ideal for Bloomberg Tradebook,” said Joseph Barra, president, international securities processing and global outsourcing solutions, Broadridge. “We’ve worked closely with Bloomberg Tradebook during the past several months to ensure our unique BPO capabilities will allow for a seamless transition to self-clearing.”
Finland’s Sp-Fund Management chooses Charles River IMS
Sp-Fund Management, the asset management arm of Finland’s Säästöpankki (the Savings Banks), has chosen the Charles River investment management system (IMS) to support its new in-house asset management operations in Helsinki.
SP-Fund Management will benefit from automated portfolio management, order and execution management and compliance monitoring throughout the trade lifecycle across its equity, fixed income, derivatives, money markets and FX mutual funds. Sp-Fund Management recently brought its asset management operations in house.
Charles River IMS will help the firm streamline workflows, reduce operation risk and provide a complete audit trail for reporting purposes. Charles River Manager automates portfolio management for large numbers of portfolios and Charles River Trader provides order management and execution management in a single combined platform. Charles River Compliance will automate Sp-Fund Management’s compliance, allowing the company to handle greater volumes.
“We recognised that the launch of our in-house asset management operations gave us a unique opportunity to select the right investment management system and to adopt the best processes from the start,” said Hannu Ruotsalainen, managing director, Sp-Fund Management. “With Charles River IMS, we have a single consolidated platform that will not only support our business starting out, but also provide the functionality and scalability we will need as we increase our mutual fund client base and diversify into other markets.”
SunGard integrates Fox River brokerage services
Financial technology provider SunGard has added Fox River Execution Solutions to its newly consolidated broker-dealer, SunGard Brokerage & Securities Services, creating a single consolidated broker dealer business.
Fox River Execution Solutions includes algorithms, sponsored access, sales trading and access to an alternative trading system. Its technology is designed to help customers reduce latency in reaching external venues.
SunGard’s trading execution services are now called Fox River Execution Solutions, while SunGard’s trade management and risk solutions are grouped under the Valdi brand name.
“By bringing Fox River into its consolidated broker-dealer, SunGard has created a simpler way for us to do business,” said Denean Williams, CEO and investment officer of Cameron Capital Management. “We have worked with the Fox River sales trading team for many years and we now use all of the Fox River Execution Solutions. Working with this technology and the SunGard team has helped us customise advanced trading strategies.”
SunGard acquired Fox River, a specialist broker-dealer business focused on developing trading algorithms, in July 2010.