The TRADE 62 - Q4 2019 | Page 63

[ M A R K E T R E V I E W | 2 0 2 0 P R E D I C T I O N S ] Scott Bradley head of sales, marketing and business development, LSE Cash Secondary Markets and Turquoise With geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty around Brexit planning taking up much of the focus and resource for 2019 and with two years of post MiFID II experience now digested the trading commu- nity will be looking to drive further innovations in the search for meaningful liquidity. New trading channels such as frequent batch auctions have continued to gain support for their quality outcomes in all sizes of execution and the second half of 2019 saw record numbers in conditional dark block trading mechanisms, a sign that investors and traders alike are keen to capture mid-point block opportunities. 2020 will continue to see us work closely with market participants to foster the best possible liquidity ecosystems taking into account the myriad of changes which have taken place over the past two years and to reflect the changing face of the customer in cash equity markets. Alasdair Haynes CEO and founder, Aquis Exchange Let’s hope that 2020 will live up to its name and be a year of clear vi- sion. After years of political uncer- tainty which has held back market turnover, we are all looking for- ward to going back to normality. I believe the investment banks will see further retrenchment and be forced to adapt their business models, recognising that a paradigm shift is required for long term survival and growth. The clear focus for them will be on costs. Elsewhere, the importance of data – its ownership, storage, distribution and price – will con- tinue to grow and, I suspect, take centre stage next year. Within my own sector, and not withstanding Hong Kong’s abortive tilt at the LSE, it looks like the battle of the bourses will continue apace with the BME being the latest exchange to be fought over. I expect 2020 will be a pivotal and exciting year for much of our industry. Dave Howson chief operating officer, Cboe Europe With some clarity around Brexit in 2020, I think we will see investors return to the market and volumes increase. I think we will also see the formulation of MiFID 2.5 that takes into account the new dynamic that will exist between the UK and EU as a result of Brexit. As such, we’re pleased to see regulators moving forward with a consolidated tape, which we believe is a critical component to healthy, vibrant and interconnected European capital markets. Issue 62 // TheTradeNews.com // 63