Moderator of the High Frequency Trading Panel and CEO and Founder of PropelGrowth, Candyce Edelen discusses the benefits of the FPL Americas Trading Conference.
How did PropelGrowth benefit from the FPL Americas Trading Conference?
Frankly, the most important benefit for us is new opportunities. The exposure from moderating the High Frequency Trading panel and time spent networking at the event made for some very significant conversations. We have attended FPL twice before and have won new clients both times. The 2010 event was no exception. We already have several new opportunities in the pipeline that started from conversations at the event. I have been in the FIX space for ten years now, and while I always enjoy the opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues and meet new people.
Which session(s) were most valuable to you?
I greatly appreciated the opportunity to participate in the event as a panel moderator, and I’d have to say that the panel I moderated was the most valuable for me, personally. All of the members of our panel are well-respected industry leaders, and it was an honor to have an opportunity to work with them. I found two other sessions particularly valuable. The Multi-Asset Trading panel went into detail about the obstacles confronting cross-asset trading related to the complexity of risk management and compliance. That session was educational and timely too, as this seems to be where the industry will have to go in the next five years to continue to drive trading profits. I also found Adam Sussman of TABB Group’s presentation on how the buy-side uses high frequency trading (HFT) very informative.
As an executive, what is most valuable about your experience as a presenter? (e.g. company exposure, new connections,trend-spotting, etc)
I appreciated the opportunity to shake things up a little in our approach to the panel. The HFT panelists were all game to try a different approach and stage more of a debate around our topic instead of a more traditional panel. We spent quite a bit of time preparing, and I learned a lot from our panel members. The feedback we receieved seemed to confirm that our approach was interesting and engaging. It was also a great opportunity for me to meet some leaders whom I would not have ordinarily had an opportunity to work with.
How did your session on HFT and the event as a whole fit into the overall HFT space in the Americas?
In our panel, we dug into some of the most controversial issues surrounding this trading trend including the media coverage and the impact of recent regulatory changes. We took a different approach to our panel discussion to facilitate more of a debate, examining HFT from multiple points of view. We discussed the role the high frequency trader plays and examined their overall value to and impact on the markets. Then, we tackled hot topics around co-location, short selling, quote stuffing and naked access. All in all, the session and event successfully continued the conversation on a subject that is greatly impacting our industry.
Former Director and Global Trading Strategist for AXA Rosenberg, Ignatius John gives his perspective on where electronic trading in the Americas is headed.
Which session(s) were most valuable to you?
The Fireside Chat hosted by John Goeller at the end of the conference was very useful and interesting. This panel discussed the future direction of FPL, and that it is heading towards servicing the multiple asset classes. It is always exciting to get a sneak preview before new versions get rolled out. This way FIX users are better prepared for future developments within their firms. There were a lot a sessions on High Frequency Trading and low latency which were of interest to me coming from the buy-side. The impact to larger institutional asset managers was supported by many interesting discussions and different perspectives.
What was most valuable about your experience as a panelist?
I valued the opportunity to connect and network with the buy-side, sell-side and vendors. It is a great opportunity to share with the industry what is working well for us and which areas need improvement. I enjoyed the interactive sessions where the audience had an opportunity to ask questions. Through this process, I could not only share my experience on a related topic, but also learn from the interactive discussion.
How did your session on liquidity and best executio inform the state of electronic trading in the Americas?
I had mentioned during my panel that technology has changed the trading landscape; however, in the last two years the trading landscape has been moving and changing a lot faster. Electronic trading is now becoming more low touch. Technology has moved into the trading space with such dominance that traders are now playing a monitoring role as orders are sent to the market. It is imperative that buyside shops invest or outsource their technology, rather than be dependent upon brokers to provide this.
