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Rob Prior is CEO of Actant, a privately held software company based in Zug, Switzerland, that specializes in technology solutions for futures and options traders. He has spent over 25 years in the derivatives industry, beginning with Timber Hill (which became the market-maker arm of Interactive Brokers), an early adopter and innovator in applying electronic elements into trading. Prior spoke with MarketsWiki's Doug Ashburn about the evolution of the market-maker space, current trends, and the future of trading.

Q: Those of us on the trading floor in the late 1980s - long before the advent of electronic trading - remember Timber Hill's color-coded screens that fed real-time info to the traders in the pits. Did this give you an early appreciation for the importance of technology?

A: Back then, the whole idea of automated trading was considered outlandish when everyone else was sheet trading. We came down to the floor to be the first to automate trades between New York and Chicago. Everyone scratched their heads and said, “that will never work.” Now, here we are, 25 years later. All the pits have gone electronic, and everyone is trying to speed up that exact process and automate it even more.

Around 1990, we hooked up to the first electronic exchange, the DTB (now Eurex), and that was quite an experience, finally getting a chance to apply automation without human intervention. From there, we hit all of the electronic exchanges - LIFFE, SOFFEX, and the other early adopters in terms of electronic exchanges. Many of the tools and experiences our customers now have, we were developing them, or variations of them, way back then.

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When: March 11 - March 13, 2012
Where: Bonita Springs, Florida
Full Info: [1]
Details: The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) is pleased to announce its 28th annual Risk Management Conference, which will be held from Sunday, March 11 through Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida. The RMC is an educational forum where end users of equity derivatives discuss the latest strategies and tactics to manage risk exposure and enhance yields. The conference provides an ideal setting for users and prospective users of exchange-traded derivatives to network with their peers, exchange ideas and learn the latest information about new products, practices and strategies. Featuring two tracks of sessions, it is the only derivatives conference of its kind featuring a comprehensive options and futures educational series geared to institutional money managers.

When: March 13 - March 16, 2012
Where: Boca Raton, Florida
Full Info: [2]
Details: Each spring the FIA hosts its annual meeting in Boca Raton, Florida where industry leaders from around the world gather to discuss current issues and exchange ideas. Public policy leaders including Senators and Congressmen, regulatory officials, and Congressional staff are an integral part of the program.