Despite the economic challenges marked by fluctuating equity markets and inflationary pressures, Spectrum Markets maintained a consistent growth pattern during the last quarter. The European platform for trading securities derivatives reported today (Wednesday) a significant 10% year-over-year increase in order book turnover, reaching €921 million, marking it as the second-best quarter on record.

Spectrum Markets Demonstrates Resilience amid Market Headwinds

The trading volume has also seen a 5% boost compared to the previous year, with 421 million securitized derivatives traded. The final results are visibly higher than in Q2 2023 when the number of traded derivatives reached 340 million.

The trading venue's expansion is notable with the addition of new European retail investors and partnerships, including the recent onboarding of the Italian retail broker Directa as a new member. This partnership facilitates extended trading hours for retail investors, enhancing access to the 24/5 trading capabilities offered by Spectrum. In the meantime, Societe Generale expanded the geographic availability of some of its products to Italy as well.

"Despite market uncertainties, our commitment to providing an exceptional trading experience remains steadfast," Nicky Maan, the CEO of Spectrum Markets, expressed satisfaction with the company's progress, emphasizing the successful implementation of recent initiatives. "We're exploring new partnerships, broadening our product offerings, and enhancing our trading infrastructure to better serve our members and their clients."

Spectrum Markets, headquartered in Frankfurt, operates as a regulated trading venue under MiFID II/ With the authorization and supervision of BaFin, Spectrum provides a 24/5 trading service through its proprietary platform, ensuring liquidity across a spectrum of products.

Non-Traditional Trading Hours on the Rise

During the third quarter, non-traditional trading hours experienced significant activity, with 32.3% of individual trades taking place outside conventional market hours. The trade composition was predominantly in indices, with currency pairs and commodities also seeing substantial movement. Equities followed in volume, and cryptocurrencies contributed a smaller portion of the trade volume. The DAX 40, NASDAQ 100, and S&P 500 emerged as the most actively traded assets.

This confirms the industry-wide trend also visible among typically retail trading firms, which have recently expanded their offerings to include trading in stocks outside the traditional session hours. In a notable move this July, three prominent brokers: eToro, Robinhood, and Interactive Brokers, introduced extended trading times.

The social trading giant eToro now provides three additional hours of daily trading for top-tier Wall Street entities. Meanwhile, Robinhood has been piloting a round-the-clock trading facility, which has been rolled out to all its customers as of last month. This service encompasses a selection of 43 highly-traded stocks and exchange-traded funds.