Electronic Trading Tops 60% of Global FX Trading Volume
Strong growth in electronic trading activity last year pushed electronic foreign exchange (FX) volumes above 60% of the overall global FX market for the first time, according to the results of Greenwich Associates’ Global FX Services Study.
Electronic FX (eFX) trading volumes increased 23% from Q310 to the same period in 2011. That growth surpassed the 15% increase in overall FX trading volumes, thus expanding the share of the market traded on electronic systems to 61% from the 57% of total volume recorded in Q309 to Q310.
Americas Lead Global eFX Expansion
From 2010 to 2011 electronic trading volumes increased 47% in the Americas, 20% in Europe and 22% in Asia-Pacific. As a result of those increases, the share of total FX trading volume executed electronically in the Americas increased to 60% in 2011 from 51% in 2010 and the share of overall volume executed electronically expanded to 62% from 58% in Europe. The European expansion was driven by a 22% increase in e-trading volume on the continent; eFX volumes in the UK were essentially flat.
In Japan, the share of overall FX volume executed via electronic trades held steady at roughly 68% amid strong year-to-year growth in both total FX volume (up 23%) and eFX volume (up 35%). In Asia ex-Japan/Australia/New Zealand, the share of overall FX trading volumes routed through electronic systems declined to 54% in 2011 from 59% in 2010 as growth in e-trading volumes (+4%) lagged growth in total FX (+6%).
Algorithmic Trading: Big Growth Ahead
The FX market has the reputation of being perhaps the world’s most liquid and one of the world’s most efficient marketplaces. It has also become one of the most competitive. As increasing amounts of business flow to multi-dealer platforms, banks find themselves in a race to get prices quoted on these systems and to find ways of differentiating themselves from competitors.
Many banks are looking to one tool they think will help them better compete: algorithmic trading. Only 8% of global FX market participants use algorithmic trading strategies for FX. While that share is up from the 6% using algo trades in 2010, the 2011 results leave little doubt that these strategies have yet to gain much traction market-wide. However, the research results do show signs that algorithmic trading is beginning to catch on in certain segments of the market:
Twenty percent of hedge funds are using algorithmic trading strategies in FX, up from just 14% last year. Meanwhile, many of the banks with which Greenwich Associates regularly works are investing heavily in the development of algorithmic strategies for FX, and they expect this product to attract significant levels of demand in the months and years ahead.
“As FX evolves into a mainly electronic marketplace, competition is taking place in milliseconds as opposed to minutes or hours,” said Greenwich Associates consultant Peter D’Amario. “In such an environment, algorithmic trading strategies will play a much bigger role for both investors and banks.”