Thomson Reuters has reported volume figures for its FX trading and its recently acquired FXall unit. During the month, average daily volumes (ADV) at Thomson Reuters were $137 billion, 8.7% higher than January’s $126 billion figure. At FXall, the combined active and relationship trading divisions hit a record high of $110 billion ADV, versus $109 billion in January. In terms of publicly reporting FX trading venues, today’s figures compare to $125 billion from the CME, and $149 billion at EBS. With today’s figures, EBS holds onto the top stop for another month.
Overall, FX trading continues to benefit from the recent rise in Volatility due to Japanese intervention along with recent outlooks from the US FED that have indicated economic optimism. The US strength has led to all time highs in the Dow Jones and seven month highs for the Dollar Index. In a presentation from FXCM CEO Drew Niv earlier this week he highlighted that traders appeared to be anticipating higher interest rates as well as pointed out that one sided trading will often lead to sharp gains in volumes. As such, the FX market is seeing these developments unfold which should keep volumes strong for at least the near term.
