Oliver Kirkbright started the day with a welcoming address and an icebreaker. It’s great to see so many of our members together in one room again.

Some of the comments and thoughts from the traders around the tables this morning:

– Automation enables block trading and allows comparison points for deciding where to execute, without the high-touch approach.

– Traders should be cautious of fully automating and moving toward zero-touch. One, or very low-touch should be the natural point to move toward for fixed income heads of desk, as this still allows a level of oversight and adjustment of trades should market conditions move and pricing fluctuate within pre-set automation parameters.

– It’s all about data! The very principle of automated trading is reliant upon our own, and other sources of data and how we utilise these sets of data to make efficient, timely and cost-effective trades.

– A consolidated tape provides more confidence in trading at mid-point which is made more robust through better data.

– There is a curiousness in the industry towards interoperability. It’s has proven to be challenging to coordinate multiple technology systems alongside the human-touch.

We can’t wait to hear all the other insights and stories that will be shared today…