Articles by Max Bowie
SEC’s $5M Bloomberg BVAL fine targets ‘dark magic’ in fixed-income pricing
Recent actions against Bloomberg and Ice for violations relating to evaluated pricing services suggest the US regulator may be setting the stage for stricter regulations to govern the sector.
Putting a price on your head (of data): The ROI of a CDO
The chief data officer has become recognized as a key role in a financial firm’s ability to manage its data assets, and reduce costs and risk. So why is it also so notoriously short-lived?
S&P buys ChartIQ to bolster charting, analytics capabilities
ChartIQ’s former owner, Finsemble, will continue to focus on building out its desktop integration business.
In 2022, cloud shows true potential to displace legacy data platforms
Once wary of the cloud, financial firms, their suppliers and the marketplaces where they trade are openly embracing it. And there are more signs of big tech firms accelerating buy-in by literally buying in to clients’ migration projects.
Reg SCI expansion set to increase broker-dealer systems scrutiny, reporting
The SEC is preparing to drastically expand the scope of Regulation SCI, which covers IT systems critical to the smooth functioning of the markets. But in the absence of formal proposals so far from the regulator, how can affected firms prepare for new…
OTC Markets rescues Edgar Online, plans ‘comprehensive’ US disclosure data service
Edgar Online’s new owners discuss their plans for the financial data and filings provider, and how owning the data will be key to expanding the range of services it can offer.
TMX embarks on data diversification and expansion play with WSH buy
The Canadian exchange is the latest to acquire a data vendor business, bringing non-exchange content to help it grow its data assets.
End of Bloomberg’s pandemic provision sparks opportunity—for BBG and terminal upstarts
Middle- and back-office staff at banks and buy-side firms who have become accustomed to remotely accessing Bloomberg terminals at home under a disaster recovery provision could set off a surge of new remote data terminal subscriptions.
Data brain drain may prompt move to managed services for market data management
A shortage of data professionals with suitable experience to run large financial firms’ data organizations could drive firms to completely outsource the management and administration of their third-largest expense.
Gold standard: Are golden copies losing their luster?
The concept of a “golden copy” is well established. But what happens when buy-side firms want to differentiate themselves by launching new services, only to find themselves maintaining multiple “single” sources of data—or worse, none at all?
MDSL cuts data vets, retools to focus on technical sales
The loss of experienced data specialists has shocked some industry execs, but the vendor says its plan to train a new cadre of technically focused staff will result in better service overall.
The surprising industries luring data talent away from Wall Street
Capital markets data specialists are finding their skills in high demand—but not from where you might think.
Messy MBSs? Startup uses deep learning to predict mortgage-backed securities markets
As interest rates rise and house prices fall after a steady period of the opposite dynamic, investors are looking for more accurate ways to price these factors into the value of mortgage-backed securities.
Putting location in its place: Geolocation data market contractions highlight importance of cost, context
All is not well for providers of geolocation data, with some slashing staff or shutting down entirely. Those still thriving are the ones who realize it’s no longer all about “location, location, location.”
From pharma to finance: Cracking the DNA of data management
Enterprise data management has traditionally addressed any aspect of financial data across an organization. But as investment firms’ portfolios of enterprise data broadens in definition to include other types of non-financial data, EDM projects must also…
Sell side ramps up outsourced trading desk services for still-skeptical buy side
A raft of new entrants are offering outsourced trading services to buy-side firms, anticipating a wave of takeup among larger asset managers, driven by cost and coverage needs. But are they aiming too high?
In the world of financial data, context—not content—is the new king
For years, the mantra of the market data world has been ‘content is king.’ But with trading strategies now more dependent on being able to see the big picture, the value of context could quickly overtake the data itself.
SEC warned that alt data is rife with due diligence risks days before Thinknum crisis emerged
Only proper due diligence on datasets and the companies providing them will safeguard alt data consumers from similar risks in the future.
New datasets illuminate risky ‘pledged securities’ for investment analysis, due diligence
Until now, information around this opaque type of dataset has been hard to find, though it’s becoming increasingly important to financial analysts.
Exchanges, vendors reinvent inventory management platforms to enable sales
Data sources are realizing they can leverage end-user inventory management tools to streamline their side of the data sales and licensing process.
Brokers eye regulatory info as growth dataset to ease banks’ compliance burden
For years, inter-dealer brokers have provided price data on the markets in which they broker trades. Now, they spy a new growth opportunity—providing tailored datasets of clients’ trading activity to help them comply with a growing and increasingly…
All about the integration: Melding tech is key to getting full value from vendor M&A
Recent tech and data M&A deals aren’t just about acquiring clients or 'bolt-on' solutions, but will yield longer-term gains through granular integration of the vendors’ product lines and technologies.
Believe nothing, trust no one: ‘Morgan Freeman’ sends a message to fintech professionals
There’s evidence that deepfakes are being used to commit fraud in the financial markets. And as scam artists become more tech savvy, financial firms will need to quickly employ new tools to protect their assets.
Memx data fees tackle professional vs. non-professional audit risk
The exchange delivers on its promise to reduce the cost of exchange data, but subscribers still face an administrative cost burden associated with the lower user fees.