THETRADETECH DAILY THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF TRADETECH 2021
Do automation and better execution performance always go hand in hand on the buy-side trading desk ? It depends on what you are automating and why are you are automating it . From my experience , the automated workflows that we support at LGIM are aimed at improving both efficiency , as well as , trading outcomes . We support various automated workflows across rates , FX and equities .
One thing that often gets lost , perhaps , because it is not so interesting , but nonetheless is an important point to make , is automating post-trade activities . This is also a viable activity for trading desks to engage in , booking out executions and partial executions at the end of the day for example can be really time-consuming and inefficient if done manually .
Where do you see the future of outsourced trading ? With any outsourced arrangements , firms need to assess both the scale and complexity of their business in order to determine whether it is appropriate for them . The global
“ It is pretty clear that some level of flexibility for our traders will remain .”
trading function at LGIM is a fundamental part of the investment process . Our traders play a key role in the investment performance of the firm . We have desks in Hong Kong , London and Chicago and we execute millions of orders on an annual basis across all asset classes .
We believe that that scale brings a huge number of benefits to our firm and naturally therefore to our clients . If you are operating at scale in a large firm with resources and adding value to the investment process and crucially if you ’ re an integral part of that investment process then you are a fundamental part of that investment proposition . It might suit some but not all by any stretch .
Which panels are you most looking forward to tuning into at TradeTech ? I ’ m interested in all the data and analytics and FinTech sessions that are being run . I joined the diversity and inclusion virtual boardroom earlier this month which was open to buy-side heads of trading . Cognitive diversity achieved through a diverse team is very important . People look at problem solving in different ways .
Trading desks have done a reasonable job in promoting and encouraging cultural diversity . It ’ s no surprise to hear me say that trading desks have been less successful in trying to meet the challenges of gender diversity . I am interested to see how the debate plays out at TradeTech . However , I don ’ t think we can just talk about diversity and inclusion in general terms . It is helpful to be clearer about what it is we ’ re talking about and trying to frame the debate in a more granular fashion . There are some aspects that we have done very well at and others where we have done less well .
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