The TRADE 62 - Q4 2019 | Page 12

NEWS UPDATE FOREIGN EXCHANGE Instinet expands Newport with launch of spot FX trading platform Instinet reaches beyond equities to incorporate foreign exchange through the launch of new agency trading business. I nstinet has announced the launch of Newport FX, an agency-model electronic trading platform for spot foreign exchange. The platform has been developed to provide transpar- ent pricing, liquidity management and execution tools in order for traders to access high quality executable prices, according to the firm. Existing Newport equities trading clients will be able to synchronise their FX executions with their equity orders for a holistic view of the landscape, and enable them to benefit from aggregated netting opportunities. The plat- form is accessible either through the Instinet Newport execution management system (EMS), direct FIX API or on a stand-alone basis. “Our goal is to provide clients with complete trans- parency and the dedication to execution quality that they expect from an agency-model broker,” commented Ralston Roberts, global CEO of Instinet. “Connecting counterparties, providing aggregated access to liquidity, and applying technology to increase efficiency have been our fundamental principles throughout Instinet’s 50-year history. So it is only natural that we would build our FX offering with these same client benefits.” Instinet Newport EMS was one of the high performers in The TRADE’s 2019 EMS survey, recording an overall score of 6.15 (out of a possible 7.00), also wining the ‘Best customer support’ award in the EMS category at this year’s Leaders in Trading. DERIVATIVES FX futures reach new record at CME Group CME Group said clients are increasingly looking for FX products to manage exposure. C ME Group has said its FX futures surged to a new sin- gle-day volume record of 2.7 million contracts during early December 2019. The new record was set on 11 December, exceeding the previous record of 2.5 million contracts set on 14 June 2017. Open interest, the number of active positions held by market participants without delivery or offsetting, for FX futures also reached a new record of 2.3 million contracts on 11 December, up from the previous record of 2.2 million contracts set just the previous day. Larger open interest holders in FX futures also reached a record 1,261, up 18% in 2019 compared to the year prior. “Customers are increasingly accessing the deep liquidity, as well as capital and cost efficiencies, offered by our listed FX products to manage their FX exposure,” said Paul Houston, CME Group global head of FX. 12 // TheTrade // Winter 2019