As hedge funds extend their reach globally, regulators worldwide are increasingly worried about protecting investors, as well as their national economies. Governments in developed and emerging markets alike are considering, or have already established, measures ranging from registration requirements to loose codes of conduct. Regulators are struggling to strike a balance between investor protections and… Read the rest

In an effort to open lines of communication to employees and clients more quickly, brokerages are adopting intelligent notification systems that can reach hundreds of contacts at the touch of a button.
Brokerages can use the notification systems to rapidly disseminate news events and market trends and otherwise keep clients updated–while avoiding having to make… Read the rest

Securitization in Russia exploded last year, accompanied by increasing investor confidence and a steadily improving regulatory environment, analysts say. As demand outpaces the development and testing of a solid legal structure, however, many companies are taking steps of their own to manage the risks of a volatile emerging market.
“The financial system is developing very… Read the rest

This article originally appeared in Securities Industry News (paid subscription required).… Read the rest
A much-anticipated rise in algorithmic and electronic trading is taking hold in Japan. It is confirmed in a recent report by Connecticut-based research firm Greenwich Associates and is being led by Japan’s largest securities firms.
Growth in these activities is expected to continue at

Despite limited infrastructure and liquidity and disparate regulations across Asia’s geographical vastness, algorithmic trading has arrived in the region’s emerging markets. Over the next two years, use of the technology is expected to increase from around 6 percent of the market to 10 percent, predicts research firm Celent, driven by the steady growth of hedge… Read the rest

Before last week, reports of a brewing strategic alliance of NYSE Group and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) were repeatedly dismissed as premature. But John A. Thain and Taizo Nishimuro, the markets’ respective CEOs, made clear that cooperation between them and their organizations was well underway before they finally got together Jan. 31 for the… Read the rest

China’s regulators have been diligently working to raise the level of risk management in the securities industry. But regulations alone won’t eliminate the bad practices that long plagued the country’s markets–and improvement will require opening them to more competition, which could bring other unaccustomed consequences.
With Chinese markets booming–the Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 index rose… Read the rest

NYSE Group and the Nasdaq Stock Market have had to slow their plans to open offices in Beijing. Tu Guangshao, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), said Jan. 13 that the openings–and other non-Chinese exchanges’ applications–will be on hold while new regulations are considered.
The length of the delay is unpredictable, according… Read the rest

The parent of the New York Stock Exchange and three other investors said last week that they will each buy 5 percent, $115 million equity stakes in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India, that country’s largest exchange and the third-largest in the world in terms of equity trades. The agreement came on the heels… Read the rest