THETRADETECH DAILY
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF TRADETECH 2022
How does ESG relate to the trading desk ? The industry is currently in the early stages of what will , no doubt , be an iterative process to answer that very question - how does ESG relate to trading and the execution ecosystem ? Topics such as the climate impact of trading technology and infrastructure , the use of AI in trading strategies , the sustainability of our trading partners and technology vendors , the diversity of our own teams and the teams we partner with , along with many other significant topics , will form the basis for this important and ongoing conversation .
Initiatives like Sustainable Trading [ a non-profit membership network dedicated to transforming ESG practices within the financial markets trading industry ] have been created to help facilitate the ongoing dialogue around ESG in trading and help frame industry best practices for integrating and measuring ESG in the execution process .
Introducing an engagement framework at the trading desk level to create practical and measurable ESG best practices will hopefully result in positive change across the industry . Creating broad networks of ESG champions across the trading landscape will only serve to strengthen our collective approach to incorporating ESG and sustainability principles into our trading businesses . As with any similarly dynamic initiative , the ability to be introspective is key . Turning the lens inward to evaluate your own internal practices is often a constructive starting point in the process .
How can firms best navigate changing market structure in the equities market ? Navigating market structure complexities has been a challenge for many of us throughout our careers . The impact of new technologies , new regulations , and expanding numbers and types of venues , all present unique challenges as we strive to optimise execution outcomes in pursuit of greater returns for our clients .
At AllianceBernstein , we ’ ve always believed that using data to address market structure issues has positively impacted our ability to meet these challenges . The ability to exhaustively measure not only overall execution quality but the impact of different routing strategies or technologies , the contribution of different trading partners or venues - to name just a few - has both positively informed , as well has helped manage , our response to the ever-changing equity market structure landscape .
Frank Loughlin : Starting the sustainability conversation
Global co-head of equity trading at AllianceBernstein , Frank Loughlin , talks to the TRADETech Daily about the challenges of translating sustainable trading practices onto the desk , and about the importance of a truly holistic approach to enable high level performance .
Which panel are you most looking forward to at TradeTech 2022 ? The panel on diversity , inclusion and wellbeing is one I am particularly excited about . In our industry , the old adage holds true - our most important assets ride up and down in the elevator every day . Our people drive results for our clients so as leaders of our respective firms , talent management and retention are paramount to our success .
Keeping our teams engaged and performing at a high level requires a holistic approach to diversity and inclusion , career management ,
“ Our people drive results for our clients so as leaders of our respective firms , talent management and retention are paramount to our success .” providing feedback , opportunity and mobility , and engaging with team members on issues that are important to them . This panel is both timely and topical and will , no doubt , provide a robust discussion with some insightful and actionable takeaways .
I ’ m also excited for our panel on ESG and sustainability . As a founding member of Sustainable Trading , AllianceBernstein is excited to be represented on the panel and I ’ m flattered to be joining the discussion with some real industry stars , including fellow Sustainable Trading board members Cathy Gibson and Duncan Higgins .
As we are in the very early stages of the “ ESG in trading ” conversation , we all have the ability to positively influence the direction of the work and the dialogue . Creating a framework that is equal parts broad , challenging , implementable and measurable is critical to the success of this key industry initiative . I ’ m excited to share thoughts with fellow panel members on this important and evolving theme for our business .
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