Automated Trader Global Trading Trends Survey

Building on the significant insights from our 2010 and 2011 polls, the Automated Trader 2012 Global Trading Trends Survey seeks to identify and track the key changes and trends currently shaping our industry, and to highlight the key challenges that firms face as they attempt to keep pace and maintain a competitive edge in today's fast evolving capital markets.

Both the 2010 and 2011 surveys caught the attention of a number of central banks, regulatory bodies and government sponsored working groups.  By completing this year's survey you will be contributing to an important study that will shine the bright light of objective research into a number of key areas that continue to divide opinion amongst both regulators and market participants alike. 

Your input will provide insight and context to the possible impact on market stability, price discovery and liquidity of different trading styles, and will help to identify the key trends in what, where and how firms are trading and the technology they are using.  Your input will determine just how far the bar has been raised since last year's survey, and most importantly, to highlight the differing imperatives for the various types of participant that together make our markets.

The number of questions in the survey varies depending on your responses, however as a general guide, most people will be able to complete the survey in 20 minutes or less.

As a "thank you" for your participation, you will receive:

  • A FREE 3 month Automated Trader Platinum subscription (or extension to an existing subscription) meaning you'll get copies of Automated Trader magazine posted to you PLUS you'll get access to all of our online content.
  • An exclusive pre-publication summary of the key survey findings giving you early insights into the most significant industry trends.
  • The chance to win an $800 Harrods voucher from Automated Trader.
  • The chance to win an iPhone 5 from Equinix.
  • The chance to win a $500 Hilton Hotels voucher from RTS Realtime Systems

Go to Survey

Feedback from the 2011 survey

"Just completing the survey flagged up some technologies and trading methodologies that we're now investigating.  Very inspirational.  I look forward to seeing the report."
Jean-Jacques Duhot, Global Head of Strategic Risk, CIBC World Markets - January 2012 

"Automated Trader's annual survey is without doubt the most comprehensive examination of modern trading practices and attitudes that I have seen to date.  At a time when technology and, as a result, trading styles are evolving faster than ever before and deep divisions are evident in the opinions of both market participants and regulators as to the role, form and governance of global capital markets, Automated Trader's survey data provides much needed objective insight into what firms are actually doing and thinking.  I would strongly urge anyone connected with capital markets to both get hold of a copy of the survey report and to participate in the next survey" 
Professor Dave Cliff, Bristol University

"Running a technology driven fund it's important for us to continually measure ourselves against the rest of the market both in terms of the technology we're using and the trading styles we operate.  Completing the survey questions was an education in itself which stimulated a lot of ideas here, whilst the survey report that followed is essential reading for any trading firm".
Rob Moxham, eStats Funds Management

"The Algorithmic Trading Survey provides unique insights into current industry practices and upcoming trends for algorithmic trading. Automated Trader's survey provides quantitative detail and first-hand information cannot be obtained from market research reports. By participating in the survey, firms can gain a better understanding of how they are positioned within the market and how trading practices vary across geographic regions."
Professor Randall E. Duran, Singapore Management University and author of "Financial Services Technology"

"The Automated Trader Algorithmic Trading Survey has helped us to build a broad picture of where automated trading technologies are heading. Coming from a trading environment more driven by fundamental data it is easy to lose pace with the rapid innovation and penetration of new trading technologies like machine readable news. This survey is invaluable in providing our management with hard data on how the market is evolving and to help justify new areas of research.  The survey is not just pages of statistics but an in-depth analysis of the data, the trends it exposes and expert opinion on the key topics. For me the authors have stuck a perfect balance and I felt that by the end of the report I had a strong overview of how the market is evolving and where we fit in with that evolution."
James Isilay, Algorithmic Trader, Axpo Trading AG

We take your privacy and the confidentiality of your responses very seriously.  Our promises to you:

  • Your responses to the main survey will be treated CONFIDENTIALLY.
  • Your main survey responses will be used ONLY in the context of the overall survey results.
  • We WILL NOT identify you or the firm you work for, or associate you with any individual answer to the main survey.
  • Once the integrity of responses has been verified, the contact details you have provided will be disassociated from your answers to individual questions in the main survey to guarantee that there can be no information leakage of your answers to specific questions.
  • Under NO circumstances will ANY of your answers to the main survey questions be passed to any third party.

The survey includes two questions from survey sponsors RTS Realtime Systems and Equinix.  Their questions are clearly identified and you will be able to choose whether or not to answer their questions, and also whether or not to withhold your identity from them.  Bank of America Merrill Lynch has sponsored the survey this year in order to provide their clients with access to the survey conclusions.  Regardless of your privacy choices around individual sponsored questions, your answers to the main survey WILL NOT be shared with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Eurex Exchange, RTS Realtime Systems, Equinix or ANY other third party.

Thank you for your participation.

Sponsors
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Equinix Realtime Systems Eurex