The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has halted the pre-release of Labor Dept. economic data announcements to prevent pre-loading of potentially market-moving data into accredited news organizations’ clients’ trading algorithms, giving them an unfair advantage. According to the Office of the Inspector General, these news organizations were “are able to profit from their presence in the lock-up by selling, to traders, high speed data feeds of economic data formatted for computerized algorithmic trading. Because these news organizations have pre-release access, they are able to pre-load the data … allowing their clients to get this information faster than the general public.”

Horizon Software has released a new version of its sell-side equity derivatives EOMS product, adding improvements to the automation of client order / execution workflow including a more efficient workflow to create and trade derivatives strategies and improve performance. The solution supports a trading scope of over 10 million instruments.

Exablaze, a provider of ultra-low latency network devices, has released two new network adapters: ExaNIC X25 and ExaNIC X100. Exablaze says that in both live trading and benchmark tests the network adapters proved to be the fastest available, and have set a new record for low-latency performance. The exceptional speed of the Network Interface Cards (NICs) is due to the unique hardware, software and firmware architecture developed by Exablaze. The ExaNIC X25 is available now, while the ExaNIC X100 is expected to ship late in Q1.

DASH Financial Technologies, a capital markets technology and execution provider, has released an enhanced liquidity solution within its agency listed-options routing suite, SENSOR. The solution, DASH ATS, is an alternative trading system designed to solve the liquidity sourcing challenges inherent in the US listed options market. Through DASH ATS’s automated Request for Quote process, a diverse network of market makers and liquidity providers can respond to client orders with their quotes. By combining the DASH ATS with SENSOR smart routing, clients can benefit from this liquidity within their routing workflow.

TP ICAP intends to buy European brokerage group Louis Capital Markets and MidCap Partners for $21 million in cash. It will also pay deferred sums based on non-contingent and contingent considerations. The interdealer broker expects to complete the deal in the first quarter of 2020, strengthening its equity, equity derivatives and fixed income product line-up and its position in Continental Europe. Louis Capital operates in London and Paris, with other offices in New York, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv.

The Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) is planning to provide a real-time market data feed from March 23, 2020. The feed will be introduced at the same time as continuous trading on Taiwan’s stock market, which currently uses the call auction trading method during trading hours. TAIFEX’s existing data feed disseminates a snapshot of prices and volumes of the best five bids eight times a second. From March 2020, market participants and data vendors can choose to connect to the new real-time or existing data feed.

Plato Partnership, a not-for-profit company working to improve the European equities market, and BMLL Technologies, a data analytics firm, have released Platometrics, a market quality metrics tool providing market participants with a picture of trading data and trends from European venues, free of charge. The solution provides a consolidated overview of liquidity, European best bid offer across exchanges at any specific point in time; and market quality metrics covering a large range of instruments for individual stock analysis and venues for performance comparison. Metrics are available on transaction date plus one day, with up to six months of historical data.

State Street has started a digital asset pilot with Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange and custodian. The pilot builds on ongoing research and development to combine Gemini Custody with State Street’s back office reporting, and performs reporting scenarios on a user’s holdings within Gemini Custody. Initially, the pilot reports holdings of two cryptocurrencies chosen for liquidity reasons. However, it can be adapted to report on holdings of other digital assets, such as security tokens. It allows users to consolidate the reporting of digital assets serviced by Gemini, an independent digital asset custodian, with traditional assets serviced by State Street.

The Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines (SCCP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), has selected LSEG Technology’s Millennium Post Trade solution to improve its post trade processes. As part of the agreement, LSEG Technology will implement Millennium Clearing and Millennium Risk products, enhancing SCCP’s clearing, settlement, risk and collateral management capabilities and helping it meet global best practices and standards such as CPMI-IOSCO principles for financial market infrastructure.

SteelEye, a compliance technology and data analytics firm, has taken the next step in its international expansion with the opening of an office in Paris. The office supports SteelEye’s rapid growth and positions the company closer to regulated financial markets in France, as well as the Benelux region, Switzerland and many of its existing clients. Since its inception in 2017, SteelEye has acquired over 40 clients across seven countries. CEO Matt Smith says: “After a successful first two years’ operating out of the UK, we now want to enable more firms to realise the benefits of the SteelEye platform.”