Transparency
Regulators can’t dodge DOGE, but can they still get by?
The Waters Wrap: With Trump and DOGE nipping at regulators’ heels, what might become of the CAT, the FDTA, or vendor-operated SEFs?
New study reveals soaring market data spend led by trading terminals
The research finds that 2024 was a record year for overall market data spend, supported by growth in terminal use, new license schemes by index providers, and great price variation among ratings agencies.
Substantive Research reveals new metrics for market data negotiations framework
The research firm will make its industry-derived project available for public consumption next month.
In 2025, keep reference data weird
The SEC, ESMA, CFTC and other acronyms provided the drama in reference data this year, including in crypto.
How a consolidated tape could address bond liquidity fragmentation
Chris Murphy, CEO of Ediphy, writes that the biggest goal of a fixed-income tape should be the aggregation of, and democratized access to, market data.
Launch of Deutsche Börse’s midpoint dark pool delayed
The exchange group faces a roadblock as it awaits a reference price waiver from its regulator.
CBOE and Aquis to make bid for European equities tape
The challenger exchanges have plans to become the second public bidder for provider of the European equities tape, following EuroCTP’s incorporation last year.
American Bankers Assoc. asks SEC: Do you know what you’re doing?
The industry group disagrees severely with regulators’ interpretation of the Financial Data Transparency Act, hinting at possible legal action in a recently published comment letter.
New working group to create open framework for managing rising market data costs
Substantive Research is putting together a working group of market data-consuming firms with the aim of crafting quantitative metrics for market data cost avoidance.
‘Feature, not a bug’: Bloomberg makes the case for Figi
Bloomberg created the Figi identifier, but ceded all its rights to the Object Management Group 10 years ago. Here, Bloomberg’s Richard Robinson and Steve Meizanis write to dispel what they believe to be misconceptions about Figi and the FDTA.
Regulators recommend Figi over Cusip, Isin for reporting in FDTA proposal
Another contentious battle in the world of identifiers pits the Figi against Cusip and the Isin, with regulators including the Fed, the SEC, and the CFTC so far backing the Figi.
Size matters: US equity market players wrangle over new tick size regime
The industry expects the SEC to finalize the Reg NMS shake-up as soon as late summer. While there is broad agreement about the need for change, the extent of the reduction in access fees and tick sizes will have a big impact on markets.
Cutting through the hype surrounding the FDTA rulemaking process
A bill requiring US regulators and institutions to adopt a machine-readable data framework for reporting purposes applies to entity identifiers, but not security identifiers, in a crucial difference, writes Scott Preiss, SVP and global head of Cusip…
Northern Trust offers internal fund accounting, data tools to clients
Regulations and a mandate to enhance quality and transparency in a bid to improve the investor experience are pushing buy-side firms to have more oversight of their third-party providers.
Finra clears hurdle with CAT launch, but several others remain
Two major components of the consolidated audit trail are now in place. But wrangling over the CAT’s future continues.
Bank-led consortium takes aim at position reporting
Five banks, including Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs and HSBC, have joined forces to mitigate interpretation and implementation errors in position reporting disclosures.
Prepare now for the inevitable: T+1 isn’t just a US challenge
The DTCC’s Val Wotton believes that firms around the globe should view North America’s move to T+1 as an opportunity—because it’s inevitable.
Waters Wavelength Podcast: Tim Baker on Cusip lawsuit, data copyrights, and innovation in market data
Expero’s Tim Baker joins the podcast to talk about the ongoing Cusip suit and regulatory intervention in the market data space.
Blood, sweat, and tiers: how the SEC’s exchange rebates proposal could reshape US equities markets
The proposal to overhaul volume-based rebates for agency brokers may create significant shifts in liquidity, order routing, and competition. And industry practitioners are split on whether it’s for better or for worse.
Politics, public opinion collide in EC identifier consultation
The European Commission has said neither the Isin nor the UPI is ‘suitable’ for price transparency, and proposed modified alternatives in an industry consultation.
Waters Wavelength Podcast: BMO on market structure
This week, Joe Wald from BMO joins the podcast to discuss the SEC’s market structure proposals.