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Trending technology Hand in hand with communication goes the tools not only to facilitate those conversations but to inform and execute their conclusions . “ We have an ongoing dialogue around this , because technology is key to trading now – we streamline a lot of our flow and automate as much as we can through algo wheels so that we can focus on the less liquid names on the pad and concentrate on adding value and finding liquidity opportunities ,” commented O ’ Connor . “ We also find data really important , and we incorporate that into our technology initiatives like counterparty benchmarking , looking at IoI data , further streamlining our processes and so on . We work with good data to build detailed scorecards which benchmark our counterparties , so that we can work with them to improve service levels , which generally has more positive outcomes for everyone .
“ It ’ s all about improving performance . I come to my desk every day and sit down and ask myself : what can I do better ? How can I generate that alpha ? How can I trade more efficiently ? How can I make decisions more
“ This is a great industry that doesn ’ t always get the best press , but I feel so lucky to be a part of it .”
effectively , how can I add scale , how can I factor size complexities into the equation ? These are factors I think about constantly . Technology can help with this , but another key factor is the way I work with my external peers .”
Building bridges Because just as important as internal relationships are the external bridges , particularly with regards to broker relationships .
“ Those relationships we had built up over time were instrumental in helping us deal with volatile situations . The role of technology is essential in accessing venues electronically whether it is via electronic wheels , automated dark conditionals , periodic auctions … there seems to be a lot of innovation happening in the space . The continuous fragmentation
44 // TheTRADE // Q4 2022