Brokers primed to offer greater transparency

LONDON -- Technology advances could ultimately see hedge funds accessing easy-to-borrow stock automatically for their short books, using prime-broking stock-loan desks for illiquid issues or markets.

According to Jonathan Lombardo, director of equity finance at Citigroup in London, screen-based stock loans would become prevalent and, while phone calls and stock lenders’ expertise may still be required for less liquid, harder-to-find stocks, hedge funds would ultimately be able to book the most