Still Waiting on Real Time Regulation 3 Years after Flash Crash, May 6th, 2010
The Speed Traders’ Edgar Perez
On May 6th, 2010, the U.S. stock markets experienced an unusual decline (and an immediate upswing) that temporarily erased $1 trillion in market value (the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged about 1000 points) and puzzled both actors and experts following the markets. Given the ongoing controversy about “flash orders” and its portrayed usage by high-frequency traders, this incident was quickly referred as the flash crash and just as quickly blame fell on the electronic trading industry. While it is true that some high-frequency trading firms stopped running their algorithms when the decline started (human traders stopped participating in the markets in Black Monday as well), some of them stayed in the market, and helped the markets recover just as quickly as the decline happened.
Fast forward two years and we find a twit from the Associated Press with supposedly breaking news that President Obama was injured due to explosions at the White House. That report made $136 billion in market value temporarily disappear, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average quickly dropping 150 points before swinging back.
Examples of dramatic swings can go all the way back to the origins of stock markets. We only need to take a look at Black Monday, October 19th, 1987, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 508 points, 22.61%; by the end of October, stock markets in the United States had fallen by 22.68%, not showing any improvement for many weeks. Meanwhile, on May 6th, the Dow Jones had regained most of the drop only twenty minutes later.
Like major technology innovations in the past, computer trading was blamed for Black Monday back in 1987; as observed by economist Richard Roll though, program trading strategies were used primarily in the United States, and not in markets such as Australia and Hong Kong where the crisis started. Therefore, it is unsurprising by now that high-frequency trading has been blamed for the flash crash, the now called Twitter crash, and mini-flash crashes of certain stocks, commodities and currencies.
As Manoj Narang, CEO, Tradeworx, says in my book The Speed Traders, no matter what regulators do, there will be times when herd-like behavior among long-term investors will all be stampeding for the exits at the same time, and simply there won’t be enough high-frequency trading to cover the demand for liquidity. That is exactly what happened on May 6th, as described in painstaking detail in the CFTC/SEC report of September 30th, 2010; the report made clear that a mutual fund, identified by Reuters back in May 14 as Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., initiated a program to sell a total of 75,000 E-Mini contracts (valued at approximately $4.1 billion), certainly influenced by the pessimism in the markets due to street protests in Greece, among other reasons; the computer algorithm used to trade the position in the futures markets was set to target an execution rate set to 9% of the trading volume calculated over the previous minute, but without regard to price or time. Similarly, we will always experience technology and human errors. Dave Cummings, Chairman, Tradebot, would ask about the flash crash, “Who puts in a $4.1 billion order without a limit price?” That was the catalyst that initiated the flash crash. Knight Capital Group Inc.’s $440 million trading loss in August 1st, 2012, when the firm lost approximately $10 million per minute, is another recent example that comes to mind.
On March 7th, 2013, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Regulation SCI (Systems Compliance and Integrity). As explained by Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar, the proposed rule would move beyond the current voluntary program and require entities to establish, maintain, and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that its systems have adequate levels of capacity, integrity, resiliency, availability, and security to maintain the entity’s operational capability and promote the maintenance of fair and orderly markets, mandate participation in scheduled testing of the operation of the entity’s business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including backup systems, and coordinate such testing on an industry- or sector-wide basis with other entities, and finally make, keep, and preserve records relating to the matters covered by Regulation SCI, and provide them to Commission representatives upon request.
Electronic trading, like any other area of finance, should have sensible regulations imposed to promote sound trading practices and protect the average American investor from predatory behavior. If a market participant who does not use high-frequency trading believes that he or she cannot enter into fair transactions, then that individual will not invest in that market. But regulators could restore trust in the market without eliminating high-speed trading. They simply must be armed to analyze trading activity in real time.
In an area of finance predicated on speed, regulation must be as well. Real-time information would allow regulators to see everything that is occurring in the markets, no matter how quickly the order information is being posted and transactions are occurring. This would require significant commitments to invest in both human capital and information technology, but the investment is worthwhile: it is vital for regulators to level the playing field of electronic trading in general.
Real-time policing for potential malfeasance is the most efficient way to regulate high-frequency trading. Analysis of real-time data would provide for effective regulation of these trades. This in turn would provide peace of mind for market participants big and small.
Having spoken with professionals in the world’s most important financial centers, I can attest that America’s capital markets continue being the envy of the world, thanks to the innovation people like high-frequency traders, educated in the country’s top schools, bring to the markets. Let’s allow innovations like high-frequency trading to continue and regulators to police them accordingly, and not try to ban them, as vocal activists tried once with major innovations such as automobiles and derivatives.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )美高频交易专家： 速度与策略决定成败
2008年金融危机以来，许多对冲基金纷纷倒闭，投资者们也谨慎地捂紧钱袋，然而，有一种交易模式却在不断扩张，以它为商业模式的基金也如雨后春笋，这就是高频交易（High-Frequency Trading）。这种盈利模式的核心竞争力在哪里，前景又如何？
2008年金融危机以来，许多对冲基金纷纷倒闭，投资者们也谨慎地捂紧钱袋，然而，有一种交易模式却在不断扩张，以它为商业模式的基金也如雨后春笋，这就是高频交易（High-Frequency Trading）。这种盈利模式的核心竞争力在哪里，前景又如何？
近日，美国高频交易专家、《交易快手：透视正在改变投资世界的新兴高频交易》作者埃德加·佩雷斯（Edgar Perez）接受第一财经日报《财商》记者专访。他表示，实现毫秒或微秒交易的速度是高频交易的核心竞争力。目前，在发达的市场如美国和欧洲，高频交易已 占到交易量的一半以上。而假以时日，中国有望成为世界上最大的高频交易市场。
埃德加·佩雷斯小档案
“唯一成就大事的方法是做你热爱的事。如果你还没有发现它，就继续寻找，不要气馁。当你找到它的时候，你的心会让你知道。”埃德加·佩雷斯告诉记者，这是他的座右铭。
对于佩雷斯来说，金融领域是他热爱的事业。在获得哥伦比亚MBA学位后，他曾任花旗银行副总经理、麦肯锡公司的顾问。作为事业的高潮，他撰写了《交 易快手：透视正在改变投资世界的新兴高频交易》。该书的英语版本由麦格劳 – 希尔公司出版（2011年），今年，中国金融出版社（2012年）把它翻译成中文，目前，该书的印尼语和葡萄牙语版本正在翻译中。
《交易快手：透视正在改变投资世界的新兴高频交易》对高频交易进行了独到的分析。这到底是一种什么样的曾经“令人充满恐惧的技术”？它如何搞乱市 场？如何在两年前“闪电崩盘”中推波助澜？这本书告诉读者，媒体曾经渲染的股市“算牌”的现象已经改变。高频交易完全独立于“巴菲特式”的长期战略，它们 运作于完全不同的时间框架，并对长期投资组合产生的利润影响非常小。
佩雷斯对于高频交易的热爱并不止于写书。为了让更多的人了解这一金融市场的新趋势，他创立了交易快手工作室，并任课程主管，讲解高频率交易者如何利用有利可图的策略，来寻找股票、期权、期货和外汇中的阿尔法 。在此之前，他是纽约大学理工学院的兼职教授，教授算法交易和高频财务。
佩雷斯对中国等新兴经济国家有着浓厚的兴趣。2009年，他创立了致力于金融社交活动的黄金网络公司，并建立25000人的数据库。公司定期在纽约为金融人士举办针对中国等新兴经济体的聚会或者讲座，受到热烈欢迎，并被《纽约时报》等报道。他曾经多次接受中文媒体的采访，甚至在他Linkedin上的简历，也使用了中英双语。
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )’7-Star’ Trading Workshop in the Land of Burj Al Arab: The Speed Traders Workshop 2012 Dubai, January 25
Burj Al Arab, Dubai - The World's Only 7-Star Hotel
Burj Al Arab, the luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates managed by the Jumeirah Group and built by Said Khalil, characterizes itself as the world’s only “7-star” property. Why? It features the tallest atrium lobby in the world at 180 meters. It is formed by the building’s V-shaped span, which dominates the interior of the hotel, and takes up over 1/3 of the interior space. It is one of the most expensive hotels in the world. The cost of staying at a suite begins at $1,000 per night. The Royal Suite is the most expensive, at $28,000 per night. Such hyperbole is not unlike terms employed to describe high-frequency trading, topic of Edgar Perez’s The Speed Traders Workshop 2012Dubai on January 25.
Mr. Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, and Adjunct Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, will lead The Speed Traders Workshop 2012 Dubai: How High Frequency Traders Leverage Profitable Strategies to Find Alpha in Equities, Options, Futures and FX (http://www.thespeedtradersworkshop.com), on January 25, 2012. The Speed Traders Workshop 2012 Dubai opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading, the most controversial form of investing today; in the name of protecting the algorithms they have spent so much time perfecting, speed traders almost never talk to the press and disclose as little as possible about how they operate. The Speed Traders Workshop 2012 Dubai will reveal how high-frequency trading players are succeeding in the global markets and driving the development of algorithmic trading at breakneck speeds from the U.S. and Europe to India, Singapore and Brazil. Highlights of The Speed Traders Workshop 2012Dubai include:
· The first and most comprehensive initiation to the world of high-frequency trading
· Study materials provided by Edgar Perez, the author of the latest book on the subject of speed trading, and a well-known presenter in America, Europe and Asia
· Strategies high frequency traders leverage to find alpha in equities, options, futures and FX
· Latest update on high-frequency trading in the world and current regulatory initiatives
· Techniques to detect high-frequency trading in the markets
· Key enablers of high-frequency trading in the U.S., Europe and Asia
· Proposed regulatory initiatives after the “flash crash”
· Up-to-date review of the future of high-frequency trading
The Speed Traders Workshop 2012 Dubai kicks off a series of presentations in the world’s most important financial centers: Sao Paulo, Brazil, February 8; Seoul, South Korea, March 28; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 11; Warsaw, Poland, May 11; Kiev, Ukraine, May 18; Singapore, May 26; Shanghai, China, June 6; Jakarta, Indonesia, June 13; Mexico City, Mexico, July 27; Hong Kong, August 4, and Moscow, Russia, August 10.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Speed Traders Selected Modern Finance Book of 2011
The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), by Mr. Edgar Perez , has been selected as Modern Finance Book of 2011 by prestigious financial blog Modern Finance Report. As another year draws to a close, editors at Modern Finance Report shared with readers some of their favorite business books of the year.
From Modern Finance Report, “high-frequency trading (HFT) is the most controversial form of investing today, and speed traders have generally flown under the radar; in the name of protecting the algorithms they have spent so much time perfecting, they almost never talk to the press and disclose as little as possible about how they operate—until now.” Modern Finance Report cites then Bart Chilton, United States Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner: “Edgar’s book is fantastic . . . I recommend it highly.”
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading. Inside, prominent figures drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Edgar Perez at 2nd Private Equity Convention Russia, CIS & Eurasia, Sofitel London St James
2nd Private Equity Convention Russia (CIS) & Eurasia, Sofitel London St James
Edgar Perez, Course Director, The Speed Traders Workshop 2011: The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading (http://www.thespeedtradersworkshop.com), will present at the 2nd Private Equity Convention Russia (CIS) & Eurasia (http://www.gdforum.co.uk/index.php?page=11&id=7), ‘invitation-only’ event exclusively designed for leading International Investors and Limited Partners (LPs) to meet the highest-quality General Partners (GPs) operating in Russia, CIS and Eurasia. Perez, author of The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), will participate on the discussion ‘Is “Silicon Valley” Unique and Can it be Reproduced in Eurasia?’, with Yury Frantsuzov, Strategic Business Development Manager with Intel, Peter Loukianoff , Managing Partner with Almaz Capital Partners, and Dr. Jan Dauman, Director and Senior Partner, Russia with CET (Central Europe Trust).
The aim of this convention – “meeting of minds” is to bring together leading names in private equity from across the largest and the most interesting continents on the planet and discuss the issues and opportunities in the private equity industry, acquire new business contacts in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Three out of four BRIC countries (Russia, India and China) are located here, plus a score of other extremely interesting emerging markets and “old economies”. The potential for growth in the private equity on this continent is immense. Some discussion groups “skewed” towards Russia and the CIS private equity industry. Nevertheless, Russia is the country that lies both in Europe and Asia and a huge market in itself. We strongly believe that the most interesting opportunities lie on the borderlines of interests, discussions and in the forging of personal relationships.
2nd Private Equity Convention Russia (CIS) & Eurasiawill be held at the stunning Sofitel London St James, located in the former home of Cox’s and King’s bank in the very heart of London, England. This sympathetically renovated building is English heritage grade II listed and now houses one of London’s most unique five-star hotels – combining traditional British design with a contemporary style that is unmistakably French. Sofitel London St James has one of the finest addresses in London, right on the corner of Pall Mall and Waterloo Place. The hotel lies in the heart of St. James’s, a prestigious and lively district of London, within walking distance of St. James’s Park and Buckingham Palace. The hotel is also less than a five minute stroll from Trafalgar Square, city centre theatres and the fabulous shopping on Regent, Piccadilly, Oxford and Bond streets.
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011, led by Edgar Perez, will reveal how high-frequency trading players are succeeding in the global markets and driving the development of algorithmic trading at breakneck speeds from the U.S. and Europe to India, Singapore and Brazil. Highlights of The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 include:
- The first and most comprehensive initiation to the world of high-frequency trading
- Study materials provided by Edgar Perez, the author of the latest book on the subject of speed trading, and a well-known presenter in America, Europe and Asia
- Strategies high frequency traders leverage to find alpha in equities, options, futures and FX
- Latest update on high-frequency trading in the world and current regulatory initiatives
- Techniques to detect high-frequency trading in the markets
- Key enablers of high-frequency trading in the U.S., Europe and Asia
- Proposed regulatory initiatives after the “flash crash”
- Up-to-date review of the future of high-frequency trading
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading. Inside, prominent figures drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade. For more about The Speed Traders, readers can visit its Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the most popular online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders, among others.
Mr. Perez, Adjunct Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, is one of the great business networkers and motivators on the lecture circuit; he is available worldwide for the following speaking engagements: Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading, The Real Story behind the “Flash Crash”, Networking for Financial Executives, and Business Networking for Success.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Only Days Before The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 Hong Kong, HFT Strategies to Find Alpha in Equities, Options, Futures and FX
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 Hong Kong
Edgar Perez will lead The Speed Traders Workshop 2011: How High Frequency Traders Leverage Profitable Strategies to Find Alpha in Equities, Options, Futures and FX (http://www.thespeedtradersworkshop.com), in Hong Kong, December 12, 2011. Mr. Perez, author of The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), will reveal at The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 Hong Kong how high-frequency trading players are succeeding in the global markets and driving the development of algorithmic trading at breakneck speeds from the U.S. and Europe to India, Singapore and Brazil.
Charles Li, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx), published on 26 July an article in Chinese on HKEx’s market reform; in the article, he pointed out that the enhancement of their infrastructure was a top priority in the Strategic Plan. They had begun upgrading their trading and information systems to the next generation, building a new data centre in Tseung Kwan O and developing hosting services.
In addition, he indicated that he didn’t not agree with the view that enhancing their IT infrastructure favored high frequency traders or the large brokers. Building the IT infrastructure was for him like building a highway: “We should not abandon highway construction just because a few do not want to invest in new cars or a few fear accidents. We believe Hong Kong’s current market framework, which includes stamp duty, effectively limits high-frequency trading, just like a highway with many toll booths discourages speeding. Besides, even if we don’t build the highway, we cannot prevent others from doing so and diverting liquidity, leading to market fragmentation.” No doubt it won’t long before high-frequency trading races on Hong Kong’s fast information highways.
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 Hong Kong (http://thespeedtradersworkshophk.eventbrite.com) opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading, the most controversial form of investing today; in the name of protecting the algorithms they have spent so much time perfecting, speed traders almost never talk to the press and disclose as little as possible about how they operate. The Speed Traders Workshop 2011Hong Kong will reveal how high-frequency trading players are succeeding in the global markets and driving the development of algorithmic trading at breakneck speeds from the U.S. and Europe to India, Singapore and Brazil.
Mr. Perez is one of the great business networkers and motivators on the lecture circuit; he is available worldwide for the following speaking engagements: Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading, The Real Story behind the “Flash Crash”, Networking for Financial Executives, and Business Networking for Success.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Present and Future of High Frequency Trading at Middle East Hedge Funds Investors Summit 2012, Dubai, UAE
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, UAE
The Present and Future of High Frequency Trading is the topic Mr. Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com) and Adjunct Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University will present at the upcoming Middle East Hedge Funds Investors Summit 2012, January 23-24, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, UAE.
The Middle East Hedge Funds Investors Summit 2012 is the region’s premier meeting place for Middle East Institutional Investors, SWFs, Pension and Insurance Funds, HNWIs, Investment Houses and Family Offices. In an exclusive association with CNBC Arabiya, Middle East Hedge Funds Investors Summit 2012offers unique access to the region’s alternatives and hedge funds investors and an expert speaker faculty featuring Regional Investors, Economists, and Investment gurus, Wealth Managers, Strategists and Star Managers.
The Middle East Hedge Funds Investors Summit 2012 brings insights from top Middle East investors on how and why Middle East investors are responding as New Portfolio Managers with New Mandates post Madoff. With Middle East investors contributing on a host of influential topics and panels, attendees get real insights into what needs to be done and required by these Middle East investors to overcome the hurdles for successful hedge fund investing. Attendees hear the latest investment strategies discussed to get an in depth analysis of the Investors take on the key issues of Liquidity, Risk, Transparency, Portfolio Management, Due Manager Selection, Benchmarking and the performance of Managers, Funds and Alpha.
Mr. Perez, widely regarded as the preeminent speaker and networker in the specialized area of high-frequency trading, will cover the following themes in his speech:
- High-frequency trading definition, strategies and what it really means for investors
- Trading technology and systems that enable high-frequency trading
- High-frequency trading and SF and FoHF strategies
- Defining the impact of high-frequency trading on market structure
- Alpha-generating opportunities by trading new asset classes
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 (http://www.thespeedtradersworkshop.com), led by Mr. Perez in the world’s most important financial centers, will reveal how high-frequency trading players are succeeding in the global markets and driving the development of algorithmic trading at breakneck speeds from the U.S. and Europe to Dubai, Sao Paulo, Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul and Shanghai. Highlights of The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 include:
- The first and most comprehensive initiation to the world of high-frequency trading
- Study materials provided by Edgar Perez, the author of the latest book on the subject of speed trading, and a well-known presenter in America, Europe and Asia
- Latest update on high-frequency trading in the world and current regulatory initiatives
- Techniques to detect high-frequency trading in the markets
- Key enablers of high-frequency trading in the U.S., Europe and Asia
- Proposed regulatory initiatives after the “flash crash”
- Up-to-date review of the future of high-frequency trading
Mr. Perez is one of the great business networkers and motivators on the lecture circuit; he is available worldwide for the following speaking engagements: Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading, The Real Story behind the “Flash Crash”, Networking for Financial Executives, and Business Networking for Success.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Edgar Perez, The Speed Traders, Today at FIXGlobal Face2Face, Seoul, South Korea
Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders
Mr. Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), will present today at FIXGlobal Face2Face, Seoul, South Korea, on “The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading“.
FIXGlobal Face2Face forums feature lively debate between experts, sharing ideas and insight on implementing an effective electronic tradingstrategy, global exchanges competition, the use of algorithmic trading strategies etc. in Korea and regionally and what it means to the markets going forward.
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading. Inside, prominent figures drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders, Keynote Speaker at High Frequency Trading Leaders Forum Singapore
Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders
Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders, will be featured Keynote Speaker at High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011 Singapore (http://www.HFTLeadersForum.com), November 21-23, forum organized by Golden Networking in the world’s major financial centers, including New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and London.
Mr. Perez is widely regarded as the pre-eminent networker in the specialized area of high-frequency trading. He is author of The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill, founder of Golden Networking and host of High-Frequency Trading Happy Hour business receptions in New York City, Chicago, London, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Mr. Perez has been featured on CNBC Cash Flow (with Oriel Morrison), BNN Business Day with Kim Parlee, TheStreet.com (with Gregg Greenberg), Channel NewsAsia (with Lin Xue Ling), iMoney Hong Kong, Hedge Fund Brief, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Dallas Morning News and Los Angeles Times. He has been engaged as speaker at Harvard Business School’s 17th Annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference, High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011 (New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Singapore), CFA Singapore, Hong Kong Securities Institute, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University (New York), Global Growth Markets Forum (London), Middle East Hedge Funds Investors Summit 2012 (Dubai, UAE), among other global forums.
Mr. Perez was a vice president at Citigroup, a senior consultant at IBM, and a consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New York City. Mr. Perez has an undergraduate degree from Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Lima, Peru (1994), a Master of Administration from Universidad ESAN, Lima, Peru (1997) and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, with a dual major in Finance and Management (2002). He belongs to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. Mr. Perez resides in the New York City area and is an accomplished salsa and hustle dancer.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Why Does Perez Illuminate the World of Speed? Insights from The Speed Traders Workshop 2011
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011
Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), will present first ever The Speed Traders Workshop 2011, “The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading” (http://www.thespeedtradersworkshop.com), in Chicago, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Hong Kong. The Speed Traders Workshop 2011will be extremely helpful for all delegates who are working in finance and investments, from financial institutions, investment banks, hedge funds, pension funds, broker dealers, consultancy groups, prime brokers, solution providers and exchanges, who wish to gain a thorough understanding and practical knowledge of high-frequency trading.
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011, led by Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, will reveal how high-frequency trading players are succeeding in the global markets and driving the development of algorithmic trading at breakneck speeds from the U.S. and Europe to India, Singapore and Brazil. Highlights of The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 include:
- The first and most comprehensive initiation to the world of high-frequency trading
- Study materials provided by Edgar Perez, the author of the latest book on the subject of speed trading, and a well-known presenter in America, Europe and Asia
- Latest update on high-frequency trading in the world and current regulatory initiatives
- Techniques to detect high-frequency trading in the markets
- Key enablers of high-frequency trading in the U.S., Europe and Asia
- Proposed regulatory initiatives after the “flash crash”
- Up-to-date review of the future of high-frequency trading
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading. Inside, prominent figures drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )First Ever: The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 with Author Edgar Perez, in Hong Kong, Chicago, Sao Paulo and Singapore
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011
Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), will present first ever The Speed Traders Workshop 2011, “The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading” (http://www.thespeedtradersworkshop.com), in Hong Kong, Chicago, Sao Paulo and Singapore. The Speed Traders Workshop 2011will be extremely helpful for all delegates who are working in finance and investments, from financial institutions, investment banks, hedge funds, pension funds, broker dealers, consultancy groups, prime brokers, solution providers and exchanges, who wish to gain a thorough understanding and practical knowledge of high-frequency trading.
High-frequency traders have been called many things, from masters of the universe and market pioneers to exploiters, computer geeks, and even predators. Everyone in the business of investing has an opinion of speed traders, but how many really understand how they operate? The shadow people of the investing world, today’s high-frequency traders have decidedly kept a low profile, until now. The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading, the most controversial form of investing today; in the name of protecting the algorithms they have spent so much time perfecting, speed traders almost never talk to the press and disclose as little as possible about how they operate.
The Speed Traders Workshop 2011, led by Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, will reveal how high-frequency trading players are succeeding in the global markets and driving the development of algorithmic trading at breakneck speeds from the U.S. and Europe to India, Singapore and Brazil. Highlights of The Speed Traders Workshop 2011 include:
- The first and most comprehensive initiation to the world of high-frequency trading
- Study materials provided by Edgar Perez, the author of the latest book on the subject of speed trading, and a well-known presenter in America, Europe and Asia
- Latest update on high-frequency trading in the world and current regulatory initiatives
- Techniques to detect high-frequency trading in the markets
- Key enablers of high-frequency trading in the U.S., Europe and Asia
- Proposed regulatory initiatives after the “flash crash”
- Up-to-date review of the future of high-frequency trading
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading. Inside, prominent figures drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Trading Rooms’ Managing Director to Order 100 Copies as Gifts: The Speed Traders a Must-Have Book
The Speed Traders, by Edgar Perez
Eugene Steele, Managing Partner at Trading Rooms, and FOREX trader with more than 30 years of experience, knows a thing or two about trading. That is why he decided to order 100 copies of The Speed Traders as gifts. Why? The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World is “a must have book”, he said. “Full of information of the history of speed in trading and the main players in its development. The future of trading for those that are not long-term investors.”
Mr. Steele continues: “Trading Rooms provides day traders when they absolutely need speed and more. There are over 500,000 home traders using old computers, slow connections and no one to work with against the big guys. The Speed Traders clearly shows that is a foolish way to trade. We provide fiber optics to the market, the newest fastest custom trading computers, and soon servers at the exchanges. Our growth will make the 800 internet trading rooms a thing of the past. There is a new day in trading and speed is the key. Edgar Perez is the poster child.”
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading. Inside, prominent figures drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )For Renowned Speed Trader, Humans Not Allowed Anywhere Near High-Frequency Execution System
It took a while for Adam Afshar, one of the leading high-frequency traders featured in Edgar Perez’s The Speed Traders: An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World, to believe that the markets were more or less efficient under normal circumstances and to realize that the analysts at most firms provided no value and sometimes a negative value. He says, “My first attempt at using the computer was to build a system to help traders have better information faster to enable them or their portfolio managers to make better decisions, a sort of hybrid system where the computers are helping the humans. But, in less than a year, I realized that discretionary human participation in selection, portfolio management , or trading was so deleterious that no amount of computer power or intellectual algorithms could mitigate it.”
Adam Afshar, Renowned Speed Trader- Hyde Park Global Investments
He adds: “It’s very important to stress this point because if the system allows human discretion at any level (idea generation, portfolio management, or trading) and your machine does not have the human discretionary elements modeled correctly in its learning algorithm (which we claim is not possible at this time), what you are left with is simply a quantitative trader that uses certain calculations to assist his or her trading. It becomes difficult or even impossible to assess whether the success or failure was due to the calculations, formula, or algorithms . Although we can argue on the pros and cons of humans as traders, we have to agree that this method is not and cannot be scientific. It is not scientific because it is not possible to backtest a model that allows any discretionary human intervention. For example, if you have computers that are generating trades, but the execution is done by humans, then we would argue that you cannot determine whether the success or failure of the system was due to its robust artificial intelligence or to a very good trader, and there is no way of testing and duplicating the results. Therefore, we would argue that any backtesting becomes essentially void.”
Hyde Park Global Investments, Afshar’s firm, is an investment and trading firm that has developed an artificial intelligence system built primarily on genetic algorithms and other evolutionary models to identify mispricings, arbitrage, and patterns for many electronic financial markets and the robotic platform to monetize the opportunities. The firm, which trades its own capital so far, potentially will accept investments from outside sources.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )For Tradeworx’s Manoj Narang, High-Frequency Traders are Among the Most Responsible and Risk-Averse Players in the Market
For Manoj Narang, Chief Executive Officer of Tradeworx, one glaring misconception is that high-frequency trading generates massive profits for Wall Street. First of all, he says, Wall Street has very little to do with high-frequency trading, and second, the profits are actually very modest. He adds: “People have the misconception that high-frequency trading practitioners have a kind of ‘cowboy mentality’ and that the markets are like the Wild West as a result. Nothing could be further from the truth. high-frequency trading are among the most responsible and risk-averse players in the market. They have never been implicated in any sort of wild risk-taking behavior, which is quite a contrast from the Wall Street traders who nearly brought the global economy to total collapse in 2008.”
Manoj Narang, CEO, Tradeworx
Mr. Narang, one of the leading high-frequency traders featured in Edgar Perez’s The Speed Traders: An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World, founded Tradeworx in 1999 with the goal to democratize the role of advanced technology in the financial markets. Tradeworx also operates a quantitative hedge fund business that currently manages hundreds of millions of dollars in assets, as well as an in-house proprietary trading business focused on high-frequency trading strategies. Tradeworx trades U.S. equities and will eventually expand to all other electronic markets. As most high-frequency trading firms, Tradeworx doesn’t accept external capital, because the capital requirements are very low. The main use of outside capital in the world of high-frequency trading is to fund R&D and operations, not to actually trade the capital.
Mr. Narang finally adds: “high-frequency trading provides a valuable service to the market, and earns a relatively tiny profit in return. Let’s consider this, when an individual investor executes a 200-share order in their online brokerage account, the investor pays a broker five cents per share to execute the trade. The broker does not risk any of its own capital to do this; all he does is route the order to the exchange or to a market-maker. The player on the other end who actually provides a fill for the trade is a high-frequency trader. The high-frequency trader not only risks his own capital to provide the required liquidity, but in exchange, only receives about 1/50th of the compensation that the broker, who takes no risk whatsoever, makes on the very same trade. If people have a grievance with the financial establishment, they should ask their broker why they need to earn fifty times the amount that the liquidity provider earns, despite the fact that they are not even risking any capital on the trade!”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Edgar Perez, Author of The Speed Traders, to Host High-Frequency Trading Happy Hour Chicago Tuesday 26
Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), will host High-Frequency Trading Happy Hour Chicago (http://hfthappyhourchicago.eventbrite.com), at Public House this Tuesday July 26, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Traders, quants, investors, managers, and industry professionals will be in attendance at High-Frequency Trading Happy Hour Chicago, which follows recent presentations by Mr. Perez in New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading. Inside, prominent figures drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Mr. Perez has recently been featured on CNBC, TheStreet.com and Channel NewsAsia, and engaged as speaker at Harvard Business School’s 17th Annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference, Columbia Business School’s Career Management Center and Alumni Club of New York, High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011, CFA Singapore, Hong Kong Securities Institute, News and Sentiment Trading, Waters USA 2011, among other prestigious global forums.
RSVP for High-Frequency Trading Happy Hour Chicago at http://hfthappyhourchicago.eventbrite.com.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Edgar Perez, The Speed Traders, Keynote Speaker at High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011 Hong Kong, September 19-21
Edgar Perez, The Speed Traders, presenting at Hong Kong Securities Institute
Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders: An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.TheSpeedTraders.com), will give the keynote address at upcoming High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011 Hong Kong, “How Speed Traders Leverage Cutting-Edge Strategies in the Post-Flash Crash World”, September, 19-21, (http://www.HFTLeadersForum.com).
Edgar, who recently presented to a full room at the Hong Kong Securities Institute, is widely regarded as the pre-eminent networker in the specialized area of high-frequency trading. Edgar has recently been interviewed by CNBC Cash Flow (with Oriel Morrison), TheStreet.com (with Gregg Greenberg), Channel NewsAsia (with Lin Xue Ling), iMoney, Bloomberg, and Thomson Reuters, and engaged as speaker at Harvard Business School’s 17th Annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference, Columbia Business School’s Career Management Center and Alumni Club of New York, High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011, CFA Singapore, Hong Kong Securities Institute, News and Sentiment Trading, and Waters USA 2011, among other prestigious global forums.
Mr. Perez is one of the great business networkers and motivators on the lecture circuit; he is available worldwide for the following speaking engagements: Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading, The Real Story behind the “Flash Crash”, Networking for Financial Executives, and Business Networking for Success.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )The Speed Traders’ Author, Edgar Perez, Presented to a Packed Room at Hong Kong Securities Institute
Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders, at Hong Kong Securities Institute
Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders, presented to a packed room of almost 200 attendees at the Hong Kong Securities Institute (http://www.hksi.org/eng/membership/event/m062811ps.html), professional body that aims to raise the standards of securities and finance practitioners in Hong Kong, on The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading.
Mr. Perez described high-frequency trading as the natural progression of technology applied to the investing and trading worlds. In the process, high-frequency trading has certainly unmasked structural issues in the U.S. equity markets that are currently being examined by legislators and regulators in an effort to further strengthen financial markets. He indicated that, on balance, the impact of high-frequency trading is positive for all other market participants thanks to the increased liquidity it provides to retail and institutional investors.
The Hong Kong Securities Institute was officially formed in December 1997 as a professional body to raise the standards of securities and finance practitioners in Hong Kong. In setting standards for professional excellence in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Securities Institute offers a platform where individuals can gain the skills, and achieve the necessary professionalism and personal competence as they proceed towards further career advancement. The Hong Kong Securities Institute provides continuous professional development by offering comprehensive examinations and an extensive programme of training courses and events. Finance professionals benefit from Hong Kong Securities Institute membership programme which provides invaluable support and professional recognition from industry peers.
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Speed Traders’ Edgar Perez to CNBC’s Oriel Morrison, Criticism of High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon Unfair
The Speed Traders' Edgar Perez to CNBC's Oriel Morrison, Criticism of High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon Unfair
Edgar Perez, author, The Speed Traders: An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World, explained in detail the role high-frequency trading has been playing in the equity markets to CNBC Cash Flow’s Oriel Morrison; the interview is available on CNBC’s website at http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=2023403523. High-frequency trading, in which computers may buy and sell thousands of shares in fractions of a second, had come under criticism after the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost almost 1,000 points intraday on May 6, 2010, before recovering just as quickly.
Mr. Perez described high-frequency trading as the natural progression of technology applied to the investing and trading worlds. In the process, high-frequency trading has certainly unmasked structural issues in the U.S. equity markets that are currently being examined by legislators and regulators in an effort to further strengthen financial markets. He indicated that, on balance, the impact of high-frequency trading is positive for all other market participants thanks to the increased liquidity it provides to retail and institutional investors.
High-frequency traders replace traditional specialists in providing liquidity in a much more competitive frame work. Liquid and efficient capital markets are extremely important for economic development. While some feel that high-frequency traders spending millions of dollars on infrastructure to be a few microseconds faster than the other guy, is somehow, from a social perspective, not money “well spent”, it can be argued that this is just the way that competitive markets find equilibrium.
The Speed Traders: An Insider's Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World
As expressed by Stuart Theakston, Head of Quantitative Research and Automated Trading with GLC and one of the practitioners featured in The Speed Traders, high-frequency trading has all the attributes required to make a perfect scapegoat:
- It is hard to understand, or at least, it takes a bit of effort to understand (even professional long-only institutional investors have difficulty understanding it)
- It is fairly exclusive, as the firms involved, either have no incentive to talk about what they do (because they are proprietary trading firms and don’t need to attract external capital), or are not allowed to (because they are hedge funds and have regulatory constraints on marketing themselves)
- It employs individual participants having very high levels of academic qualifications, mostly PhDs
- It has some large dollar numbers associated with it (though more in terms of turnover than profitability, as further detailed in The Speed Traders)
- It has lots of terminology associated with it that sounds geeky and confusing to the uninitiated: ‘microsecond’, ‘co-location’, ‘momentum ignition’, ‘temporal arbitrage’ etc.
- Some intelligent, well informed and eminently quotable people are railing against it (Mario Gabelli, Paul Wilmott, Richard Bookstaber, among others)
- It is prone to occasionally be a contributory factor (or, in fact, its switching off was a contributory factor) to events perceivable by the public, like the “flash-crash”
The Speed Traders, http://www.TheSpeedTraders.com, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time.”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading at CFA Singapore, June 21st
Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders, http://www.TheSpeedTraders.com, will host a lunch presentation at CFA Singapore, professional society that brings together practitioners in the investment and fund management industry, June 21, on The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading.
High-Frequency Trading is a set of tools that encompasses a rather diverse number of strategies that prioritize speed, low-latency, volume, liquid instruments and short timeframes. According to Mr. Perez, High-Frequency Trading has been referred to as the natural progression of technology applied to the investing and trading worlds. In the process, High-Frequency Trading has unmasked structural issues in the U.S. equity markets that are currently being examined by legislators and regulators. Ultimately, speed traders will continue finding alpha-generating opportunities by trading new asset classes in new geographies employing more sophisticated tools than ever.
Established in September 1987, CFA Singapore (formerly known as the Singapore Society of Financial Analysts -SSFA) is a professional society that brings together practitioners in the investment and fund management industry in Singapore. Its principal objective is to promote and uphold professional standards and ethical practice in financial analysis and investment management in Singapore. Founded in September 1987, CFA Singapore is the first CFA Member Society of CFA Institute outside North America. The Society runs a whole host of programs for members, CFA candidates and also the investment community, including Professional Development talks and seminars, Networking sessions, CFA information sessions and examination review classes, and Career Development talks.
The Speed Traders, http://www.TheSpeedTraders.com, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time.”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Golden Networking Announces Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders, at High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011
Golden Networking has announced that Edgar Perez, Author, The Speed Traders, will present at their High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011, “How Speed Traders Leverage Cutting-Edge Strategies in the Post-Flash Crash World”, May 23, 24 & 25 in New York City. Mr. Perez will discuss “The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading”.
High-frequency traders have been called many things—from masters of the universe and market pioneers to exploiters, computer geeks, and even predators. Everyone in the business of investing has an opinion of speed traders, but how many really understand how they operate? In his new title, The Speed Traders, Mr. Perez opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading (HFT). Inside, prominent figures of HFT drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Mr. Perez is widely regarded as the pre-eminent networker in the specialized area of high-frequency trading. He is host of High-Frequency Trading Happy Hour business receptions in New York City, which have drawn the world’s top industry practitioners. He has organized high-frequency trading forums and workshops, as well as conferences on subjects as diverse as hedge funds, derivatives, private equity, distressed investing, and China, in the world’s major business centers. Mr. Perez has presented at Harvard Business School’s 17th Annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference and at forums organized by Columbia Business School’s Career Management Center and Alumni Club of New York.
For more information about High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2011, visit Golden Networking‘s website or send an email to info@goldennetworking.net.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Book Review: ‘The Speed Traders’, by Seeking Alpha’s Brenda Jubin
“High-frequency trading has mesmerized people in search of easy money, has challenged regulators, and has been an easy target for the press. In “The Speed Traders: An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Phenomenon That Is Transforming the Investing World” (McGraw-Hill, 2011) Edgar Perez tries to set the record straight. Alternating between an annotated timeline of the development of high-frequency trading and interviews with top high-frequency traders, Perez illuminates the world of speed.”
“We normally think of high-frequency trading as super-fast order processing, measured in microseconds. And, yes, it is. But a traders’s data feed (whether market quotes or news feed) also has to be lightning fast, as does his database management system.”
Perez explores the charges that have been brought against high-frequency trading and for the most part, with the help of his interviewees, tries to dispel them. Did high-frequency trading cause the Flash Crash? No. As David Cummings, chairman of Tradebot Systems, wrote: ‘Who puts in a $4.1 billion order without a limit price? The trader at Waddell & Reed showed historic incompetence.’”
“Some traders also point the finger at the practice of busting trades, which can punish liquidity providers. The Speed Traders offers a sympathetic portrait of an industry that is often demonized. By tracing its roots (going back to Instinet, which began operating under an unwieldy name in 1970), Perez demonstrates it to be a logical development of technological change in the financial markets. By separating out some controversial practices, such as flash orders, from high-frequency trading, Perez makes it more defensible. All in all, an enlightening book.”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )The Real Story Behind the Flash Crash in ‘The Speed Traders’, The Most Comprehensive Book on High-Frequency Trading
The Speed Traders: An Insider's Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World
The real story behind the flash crash, the sudden decline and ultimate recovery of the U.S. financial markets on May 6, 2010, is described in unprecedented detail in The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World (http://www.thespeedtraders.com), book by recognized author Edgar Perez.
Building on interviews with influential high-frequency traders that experienced the flash crash first-hand, Mr. Perez has been able to build a narrative that captures the readers’ attention. Referring to Manoj Narang, Chief Executive Officer of Tradeworx, the book says: “As early as May 7, 2010, it was pretty apparent to him what had happened. Investors were on hair-trigger alert because of a huge run-up (around 70 percent in 12 months) in stock prices, because of recent weakness (down around 7 percent for the week before May 6), and because of geopolitical events, particularly the threat that Greece and other European nations would default on their sovereign debt. Into this economic backdrop a mutual fund dumped around $4 billion worth of Standard & Poor’s (S&P) E-Mini futures contracts into the open market, setting off a self-reinforcing wave of selling. Mr. Narang has calculated that the mutual fund’s trade had a likely impact of about 3 percent on the S&P 500 Index’s price over the course of a few minutes. This was a rather large impact, particularly at a time when the market was already spooked. Thus a snowball quickly turned into an avalanche as investors’ stop-loss orders were repeatedly set off at lower and lower levels.”
The book explains that no matter what regulators do as part of liquidity obligations, no matter how much they force people to stay in the market, there will be times when herd like behavior among long-term investors will see them all stampeding for the exits at the same time; there simply won’t be enough high-frequency trading to cover the demand for liquidity. Liquidity crises are not driven by the lack of liquidity but by the demand for liquidity. This is why Mr. Narang thinks that it is a bit misguided on the part of regulators to try to prevent flash crashes from occurring. In order to prevent liquidity crises from occurring, regulators would need to prevent herd like behavior among long-term investors, because that’s what causes bubbles and that’s what causes liquidity crises.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Book Launch Party for “The Speed Traders” on May 10, W Hotel in New York City
The New York City book launch party for “The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World”, by Edgar Perez, will be held on May 10th, 2011, at 6:00 p.m., at the Whiskey Blue in the W Hotel. Guests are encouraged to RSVP at http://thespeedtradersnyc.eventbrite.com.
High-frequency traders have been called many things—from masters of the universe and market pioneers to exploiters, computer geeks, and even predators. Everyone in the business of investing has an opinion of speed traders, but how many really understand how they operate? The shadow people of the investing world, today’s high-frequency traders have decidedly kept a low profile—until now. In this new title, The Speed Traders, Edgar, founder of the prestigious business networking community Golden Networking (http://www.goldennetworking.net), opens the door to the secretive world of high-frequency trading (HFT). Inside, prominent figures of HFT drop their guard and speak with unprecedented candidness about their trade.
Edgar begins with an overview of computerized trading, which formally began on February 8, 1971, when NASDAQ launched the world’s first electronic market with 2,500 over-the-counter stocks and which has evolved into the present-day practice of making multiple trades in a matter of microseconds. He then picks the brains of today’s top players. Manoj Narang (Tradeworx), Peter van Kleef (Lakeview Arbitrage), and Aaron Lebovitz (Infinium Capital Management) are just a few of the luminaries who decided to break their silence and speak openly to Edgar. Virtually all of the expertise available from the world of speed trading is packed into these pages.
The Speed Traders, published by McGraw-Hill Inc., is the most comprehensive, revealing work available on the most important development in trading in generations. High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access. The Speed Traders explains everything there is to know about how today’s high-frequency traders make millions—one cent at a time.
Mr. Perez is widely regarded as the pre-eminent networker in the specialized area of high-frequency trading. He is the founder of Golden Networking and host of High-Frequency Trading Happy Hour business receptions (http://www.hfthappyhour.com) in New York City, which have drawn the world’s top industry practitioners. He has organized high-frequency trading forums (http://www.hftleadersforum.com) and workshops (http://www.hftexpertsworkshop.com), as well as conferences on subjects as diverse as hedge funds, derivatives, private equity, distressed investing, and China, attracting thousands of executives and professionals in the world’s major business centers. Mr. Perez has presented at Harvard Business School‘s 17th Annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference and at forums organized by Columbia Business School‘s Career Management Center and Alumni Club of New York.
Mr. Perez was a vice president at Citigroup, a senior consultant at IBM, and a consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New York City. Mr. Perez has an undergraduate degree from Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Lima, Peru (1994), a Master of Administration from Universidad ESAN, Lima, Peru (1997) and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, with a dual major in Finance and Management (2002). He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society. Mr. Perez resides in the New York City area and is an accomplished salsa and hustle dancer.
Mr. Perez is one of the great business networkers and motivators on the lecture circuit; he is available worldwide for the following speaking engagements: Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading, The Real Story behind the “Flash Crash”, Networking for Financial Executives, and Business Networking for Success.
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