Eugene Grygo, chief content officer, FTF News
For this blog, I usually focus on the rarely seen, between-the-lines aspects of the major securities operations issues and trends that we cover via FTF News. I have tackled many subjects over the years and I hope I have brought more light than heat to many matters essential to helping firms optimize their operations.
But, for today, I want to focus on good things and good news.
For instance, it’s a good thing that two turkeys from South Dakota have been pardoned by the White House, an annual Thanksgiving tradition that means two lucky birds will survive the holidays. (We must give a quiet thanks for all the turkeys and other meaty beasts that wind up on our tables and as part of left-overs for the next month. I admire vegetarians and vegans but I will never eat tofu-turkey again.)
We should also give thanks that the global markets have been doing well and that the industry is not focusing on how to pull the world economy out of a big ditch. Rather, industry participants are looking ahead and optimizing systems, processes and staff in case there is a downturn – which is a prudent measure that will yield great benefits wherever the markets go.
We can also take comfort that the top players among securities firms, vendors, service providers, exchanges and others are breaking ground with new technologies that will lay the groundwork for many great leaps forward. In particular, the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) project officially, if quietly, launched on Nov. 15 via exchanges and SROs, and CAT is on track to meet its deadlines for next year and beyond.
So many players are leading the way for others that do not yet have the means to explore cutting-edge IT, and for whom advanced technologies are not yet a reality.
On another front, despite speculation that the Trump team might rein in regulators, they have been very busy pushing their agendas, staying on top of major trends, and acting against firms large and small. While the amounts for fines and penalties may have levelled off, there are no signs that regulators are retreating into irrelevance.
So, there are many reasons to be thankful in 2018, and it’s time we basked in the glow of them if only for a holiday.
Financial Technologies Forum (FTF), which includes FTF News, will be basking and taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will back at it full speed on Monday, November 26.
In the meantime, we wish you and your family a great Thanksgiving holiday!
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