What we’re reading: Bloomberg’s terminal dominance; Virtu’s HFT business; S&P CEO’s; Varoufakis and Pulp

Here you have a few articles that our content team has read lately and recommends you!

Gus FarrowGus Farrow – Analyst and Chief Editor

To arms, to arms! The world’s biggest financial firms rise up against Bloomberg’s terminals

A key trend seen so far this century is the commoditization of industry. Financial markets are no exception.
We should not expect a complete revolution, but rather a slow draining of the protective moats of industry leaders. While competition is always the key to improving efficiency, we should not be so excitable as to imagine that change will come without wider repercussions.
Right now a status quo has existed in the market place for decades. A new normal will not be without casualties, and the ability to adapt to the rate of change will determine who will be tomorrows thought leaders.

Read Fortune’s article

Ivan DelgadoIván Delgado – Editor and Asian Session Leader

Virtu’s Currency Profit Doubles in HFT Firm’s First Results

There has been a sea change in markets structure, with HFT (High Frequency trading) as an integral part of the FX day-to-day business dynamics. The article portrays how one of the most lucrative HFT businesses (Virtus) has performed, even amid a challenging period like the SNB black swan event. The following quote is quite telling: “Banks have traditionally dominated foreign-exchange trading, yet major dealers, including Deutsche Bank AG and Barclays Plc, all suffered losses in the fallout from the SNB’s action,”  whereas Virtus was able to make markets through the volatile events without incident. What is more, their participation in the FX arena has increased significantly, with earnings from currencies up 66 percent between 2011 and 2013, while profit from equities grew just 6.4 percent, the company said in a filing in March last year.

Read Bloomberg’s article

Pere MonguióPere Monguió – Head of Content

Fewer Women Run Big Companies Than Men Named John

Sometimes it seems we have accepted some forms of discrimination. That is why, finding new ways to look and represent this reality is important. Taking advantage of curiosity, offering new angles and figures is a great way to raise awareness on the issues our society has to face.
In this case, an article from The Upshot – NYTimes, analyzes the gender issue (a topic most people is already aware of) but offering a new point of view. It helps to explain how big the gap is and, at the same time, generate buzz around it.

Read NY Times – The Upshot’s article

Jordi MartínezJordi Martínez – Analysis Manager

Greek finance minister responds to claim that wife was inspiration behind Pulp hit

Greek finance minister was busy last Monday trying to get more funds for the country’s economy, which he stated was “two weeks away” from running out of cash. But Varoufakis demeanor doesn’t seem to be altered by the tough talks he’s facing since he also found time to respond to claims that his wife, Danae Stratou, was the inspiration behind Pulp’s greatest hit Common People. And he wasn’t keen on denying it, but on adding fuel to the speculation.

Read The Guardian’s article

Leave a Reply