April 1, 2014

Trading Via Handheld

By Phil Albinus

Buyside traders want their smartphones and tablets eventually to be able to execute trades.

That is not to say that death of the traditional desktop is coming any time soon, according to the researchers at Greenwich Associates. But given the demands on traders' time, being able to hit a bid or lift an offering from a conference would be nice, they added.

The research firm's latest report, "The Evolution of Market Data Desktop Technology," reveals that 69 percent of market data technology users around the world use their market data desktop solution's mobile capabilities.

Although the professionals surveyed assign relatively low importance and expectations to such mobile capabilities today, they have high hopes for sophisticated mobile functionality in the coming two years. They want functionality that they enjoy and use on the desktop solutions they use on the trading floor, including the ability to execute trades and perform advanced analytics, said the report's author.

The report's subjects were roundly dissatisfied with the ability of market data technology to integrate with other tools on the trading desk, such as order and execution management systems. This, traders said, is something they want to see corrected soon.

The study participants included buyside traders, portfolio managers and analysts.