Technology, Transparency and Choice Drive Buy Side’s Investment in U.S. Options
August 23, 2013 Leave a comment
Technology, Transparency and Choice Drive Buy Side’s Investment in U.S. Options
Volumes in the options market are estimated to increase by more than 5 percent as electronic trading fuels access to the U.S. marketplace.
The U.S. market for exchange-traded options took off during the past decade. The buy side is increasingly looking at options as instruments to hedge risk exposure and generate alpha, according to TABB Group’s recent report on the state of the U.S. options markets. In fact, TABB estimates that volumes will increase by more than 5 percent by year-end, even as market volatility wanes. So what is continuing to fuel growth in the options markets?
[Related: “Buy Side Is Getting Smarter at Trading Options”]
Market transparency and growing adoption of electronic trading technologies are key contributing factors. The changes in regulation and increasing use of electronic trading helped raise volume an average of 21 percent a year from 2000 to 2010 on seven U.S. options exchanges. Today, the options markets are supported by 12 exchanges and electronic venues where traders can access legitimate, reliable prices and order information so they can confidently and quickly execute a trade.
While the increase in trading venues has increased competition and lowered transaction costs for investors, fragmentation has also forced continued investment in technology on both the sell side and buy side. One area of investment on the buy side is platforms that help aggregate liquidity across multiple counterparties and exchanges. To access liquidity and capitalize on momentary market opportunities, institutional investors are adopting electronic platforms that offer integrated pricing monitors, trade analytics, risk monitors, and other tools. For the second year in a row, TABB’s study found Bloomberg Execution Management System (EMSX) is the most popular electronic trading platform for U.S. options. Now, I may be biased, but what I believe this reveals is that options market participants value unparalleled technology and transparency – but they also value choice.
With trading volumes stagnant in the past few years, the buy side has also sought to balance technology and commission spend with necessary efficiency drivers. Especially among hedge funds, the desire for un-conflicted choice has fueled growth in broker-neutral electronic platforms that connect to a broad network of brokers, functionality algorithms and counterparties.
From hedge fund traders looking for an edge, to long-only asset managers that use options to manage risk, electronic trading is fueling access to the U.S. options marketplace. As the industry evolves and trading options becomes even more commonplace for the institutional investor, platforms that offer the buy side choice, access and sophisticated trading tools will succeed along with the market itself.