StreamBase Systems just released the results of its 3rd annual survey of FX trading and technology issues and trends. Some 135 firms were surveyed, the majority on the buy side. This resulted in lots of facts, figures, pie charts, bar charts, and a few qualitative remarks, with worries about regulation and increased transparency being top of the list. And while most firms were happy enough with their trading technology, handling FX market data was seen as a bit of a handful.
HFT is increasing in the FX markets, though the actual percentage of overall trading remains unclear. What is clearer, though, are the challenges facing firms taking in FX market data feeds. Specifically:
* 36% of firms reckoned integrating data feeds from different venues, and dealing with different formats was top of their worries.
* 22% fretted most about the latency of those feeds to drive their algos.
* 13% riled at the cost of direct feeds.
Apparently, integration and formats has taken over as the biggest challenge from latency, perhaps because faster feeds and connectivity to venues are now in place. But cost remains an issue for some.
Click here for the full report as a PDF, suitable for viewing on your iPAD.
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