About a-team Marketing Services
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry

A-Team Insight Blogs

A Night At The OPRA Maybe Ain’t So Bad

Subscribe to our newsletter

Please excuse the headline … I wanted to be cute and grab some attention. When it comes to market data rates, OPRA – the Options Price Reporting Authority – makes the headlines that low latency vendors (and industry analysts) love to cite – because the numbers are so frighteningly big. The reality, though, is a bit different.

OPRA routinely publishes predictions of potential message volume on its datafeed services, basing its figures on those provided by the markets that make up OPRA. One of its predictions – made in July 2007 – was that message rates might peak at 701,000 messages per second in January. Indeed, SIAC – which runs the computer systems for OPRA – can pump out data at that rate if it needed to.

In fact, as reported by my friends at FIF, the peak message rate in January (measured over a one minute period) was actually 345,252 mps – a record high for sure, but about half of the prediction of what might have happened.

No one (well, I’m not) is suggesting that handling OPRA rates is easy. But maybe it’s not as bad as it might be – if those predictions were closer to the reality. Also, maybe, those vendors want to keep those headline figures prominent to boost demand for their offerings. OPRA recently predicted peak rates might hit 801,000 mps in March and 907,000 mps for July. How scared should you be?

Until next time … here’s some great music. [tags]opra,fif,siac,data volumes,message volumes[/tags]

Subscribe to our newsletter

Related content

WEBINAR

Recorded Webinar: High-Performance Networks & Low-Latency Connectivity for Trading

With financial markets becoming more complex and interconnected in today’s electronic trading environment, trading firms, exchanges, and infrastructure providers need to continually push the boundaries of network performance to stay ahead. Ultra-low latency, seamless connectivity, and resilient infrastructure are no longer just advantages – to stay competitive, they’re necessities. This webinar, part of the A-Team...

BLOG

Harnessing AI-Driven Digital Transformation: A New Era in Front Office Productivity and Efficiency

The application of AI-driven digital transformation in financial markets is accelerating, yet firms are grappling with the challenge of translating innovation into tangible results. How are financial institutions successfully integrating AI into front-office operations? What are the biggest obstacles to AI adoption, and how can firms move beyond experimentation to achieve measurable returns? Should firms...

EVENT

TradingTech Briefing New York

Our TradingTech Briefing in New York is aimed at senior-level decision makers in trading technology, electronic execution, trading architecture and offers a day packed with insight from practitioners and from innovative suppliers happy to share their experiences in dealing with the enterprise challenges facing our marketplace.

GUIDE

AI in Capital Markets: Practical Insight for a Transforming Industry – Free Handbook

AI is no longer on the horizon – it’s embedded in the infrastructure of modern capital markets. But separating real impact from inflated promises requires a grounded, practical understanding. The AI in Capital Markets Handbook 2025 provides exactly that. Designed for data-driven professionals across the trade life-cycle, compliance, infrastructure, and strategy, this handbook goes beyond...