Trading Tech Talk

Mark is joined by co-host Matt Amberson, Principal at Option Research & Technology Services (ORATS).

CTO Interview: Our guest today is Michael Mescher, Founder of Gammon Capital.

He discusses:

• What is Gammon Capital?
• You've talked a lot about the dangers of selling volatility and how short vol managers aren't worth their fees. What are your thoughts on the maelstrom of the past week? How have your funds fared over the past wee...

CTO Interview Featuring Jesper Alfredsson, President Americas at Itiviti.

He discusses:

• What is Itiviti?
• The history of CameronTec
• Who is the target market?
• Finding the middle way for infrastructure expansion
• Don't spend time on the plumbing
• Recent upgrades, including smart order routing for options orders

Hot Topics in Tech:

• The tough new cybersecurity rules in New York
• Risk managers under pressure to cut down on ...

CTO Interview with Jack Schwager: Author extraordinaire and now co-founder of Fund Seeder. Mr. Schwager is the author of Market Wizards, Hedge Fund Market Wizards, A Complete Guide to the Futures Markets: Fundamental Analysis, Trading Spreads and Options (and the second edition just hit store shelves!)

He discusses:

• Was he surprised by the reaction to Market Wizards?
• How did that book come about?
• His new project in the trading...

Hot Topics in Tech. Today we are featuring Alexander Lamb, Head of Business Development at The Technancial Company. Alex was previously a guest in March 2016. (You can access that episode here.)

• Risk Management and AI: effective or ??? Its penetration into the business world has brought with it new services which aim to help automate and speed up a range of activities, including financial risk management.
• Wall Street next tech...

CTO Interview: Today we are featuring Howard Lindzon, Founder of StockTwits, and Founder of Wallstrip.

He discusses:

• Wallstrip and its flip to CBS
• The genesis and evolution of StockTwits
• Twitter pulling the rug out from under StockTwits
• How does StockTwits generate revenue?
• Stocktoberfest (Register today for Stocktoberfest)

Hot Topics in Tech: IEX finally approved putting a 350 millisecond speed bump in place. Only two s...

CTO Interview: Today we are featuring Jason Pang, CEO of Sparkfin.

He discusses:

• What is Sparkfin?
• What makes the Sparkfin Watchlist app unique?
• What was the genesis of this? Were the Sparkfin people just fed up with current watchlist offerings?
• Is the plan to remain a standalone service or to license the app to brokers as essentially a plug-and-play community module?
• Is it possible to execute through the app directly?
• Does Sp...

CTO Interview: Today Mark and Henry are joined by Ryan Hansen, President of the new futures brokerage, Tradovate.

They discuss:

• What is Tradovate?
• The benefits of multi-platform trading applications
• Membership pricing advantages
• Futures leading the way in tech
• Does the cost include payment for order flow?
• Will options ever be included on the platform?
• You can find out more at tradovate.com/trial

Hot Topics in Tech: What ...

Hot Topics in Tech: SEC says cyber security biggest risk to financial system. Fed should better safeguard economic data, internal watchdog says. A new trading floor in 2016? The options market turns to old tactic. CME upgrade soothes critics who viewed prior system as unfair. Nasdaq to unleash the machines on insider traders through Smarts investment. Why the SEC should just say "no" to IEX. Can a $24 Billion hedge fund blow the wh...

Live (to tape) at OIC 2016, Mark and Henry are joined by:

• Jesper Alfredsson, President Americas at Itiviti
• Karan Sood, Founder & CEO, Vest Financial

They discuss:

• Is there one clear path that people should take for disseminating data?
• Hitting the pause button your portfolio
• API vs. UI
• The double-edged sword of flexibility
• Market data and the ensuing revenues
• Getting to the point of regulation on fees
• AI as it applie...

Hot Topics in Tech: Henry is a hot topic! At least, he presented hot topics at the OIC Conference. Growth lately has been in ETF and index options, with equity options lagging. So many new additions, from expirations to exchanges, have exploded the amount of data. More exchanges? If you build it, will they come? Updates on the institutional and market maker spaces. The illusion of price improvement. Auctions? The deathknell of the ...

CTO Interview: Today, Mark and Henry are joined by Karan Sood, CEO of Vest Financial. He discusses:

• An overview of your background in the financial technology space
• What is Vest?
• Who is the Vest target consumer?
• Can users choose between custom portfolio overlays and pre-designed protection packages?
• Are these algorithmically generated or designed by humans behind the scenes?
• Does Vest charge commissions or is there an annual f...

Hot Topics in Tech: Today we are joined by guest co-host, Mark Melin from ValueWalk

• Vesel, LLC and Trade Alert, LLC join forces to provide specialized buy side listed options messaging - FinTech Companies will use customized alerting system to notify buy side clients of option trades mirroring their individual Watch List.
• Is IEX battle nearing end as rival exchanges adopt their technology? by Mark Melin - Recent movements by r...

CTO Interview: Today we are joined by Paul Giedraitis, Principal at Neurensic.

They discuss:

• An overview of Paul's background in the trading technology space?
• What is Neurensic?
• What sort of market manipulation can Neurensic's software detect? Spoofing? Layering? Other?
• It is bizarre that an old exploit like spoofing has become such a hot button topic in 2016.

Hot Topics in Tech: What is going on in financial tec...

CTO Interview: In this segment, Mark and Henry are joined by Alexander Lamb, head of Business Development at the Technancial Company. They discuss:

• Margin calculations, and the behind-the-scenes voodoo
• The Janus margin engine, and real-time margin calculations
• Is real-time risk and margin a response to the new regulatory environment?
• Avoiding latency
• What is the engine driving the machine?
• OTC and the migration to liste...

Trading Tech Talk 47: Blowing the Whistle on HFT

CTO Interview: Today we are joined by Haim Bodek, Managing Principal of Decimus Capital Markets, LLC. Haim founded Trading Machines and is featured in the book Dark Pools.
Featured article:

• Vice - What led whistle-blower Haim Bodek to expose the biggest scam on Wall Street?
• He has said Flash Boys misses the mark, what did he mean by that?
• What are his thoughts on IEX? What ...

Hot Topics in Tech: CFTC too broke to properly police flash traders, Massad says -The top U.S. derivatives regulator said his agency needs more money to keep up with the Flash Boys. Cattlemen vs CME - Round 2. Cattlemen asked for numerous changes. IEX battle heats up - Citadel has been one of the most vehement objectors to IEX, and has filed three public letters and held three meetings with SEC officials to lobby against the applic...

CTO Interview: Today we are joined by Eric Scharf, Director of Marketing, EOX Live.

They discuss:

• What is EOX Live?
• The evolution of the nat gas market
• Going from phone calls to electronic trading
• What about spread trades
• And more

Hot Topics in Tech: Cattlemen vs. the CME. IEX exchange quest spurs a "Flash Boys" fight with Citadel. Blockchain update: Security concerns, more money for startups and question from c...

Hot Topics in Tech: The worst start to the year since forever. Unfavorable light shining on China, raising the debate on circuit breakers. NASDAQ uses blockchains in the first large-scale trade, or so they say. Symbiont disagrees. Will blockchains be the HFT of 2016? The tech opportunities created by the regulatory environment. What have SEFs done to the world of swaps?

The Inbox: Listener questions and comments

• Comment fro...