The Path To Electronic Trading

The Path to Electronic Trading was inspired by the success of the Open Outcry Traders History Project. Gerry Corcoran, the CEO of RJ O’Brien, came to JLN to tell the story of how his one day of working on the trading floor helped create the path to electronic trading as RJO and other firms applied technology to improve the efficiency of a futures pit busting at the seams with paper orders. 

His story inspired us to develop this new video series that will capture the individual stories of the people and firms that embraced technology and created the evolutionary path from the shouting of orders on the trading floor to trading all forms of derivatives, securities and other products via purely electronic means. 

The Path to Electronic Trading series will capture stories from the beginning of order routing to trading floors, to after hour trading, then side-by-side trading and eventually just electronic trading. It will take us from TOPS, CUBS, Electronic Clerks and COMET to CME’s Globex and Globex II, the CBOT’s Project A to a/c/e and LIFFE Connect. It will take us from the NYSE to the ECNs and beyond. The series will address electronic options trading inspired by the ISE’s entry to the response by CBOE and other exchanges. And it will even go as far as trading in tokens and the Defi trading space and DEX exchanges.

We welcome suggestions for individuals to interview. Suggestions can be emailed to johnlothian@johnlothian.com.

Trader Videos

ROBIN TROTT – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING PART ONE

ROBIN TROTT – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING PART ONE

Robin Trott started out as an undergrad studying philosophy and politics, but it was the peak of the dotcom bust and he realized that wasn’t very practical. So he got a Master’s degree and got on the technology and operations graduate scheme at JP Morgan.  “The other...

JIM KRAUSE: THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

JIM KRAUSE: THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

FORMER CME CIO KRAUSE RECALLS THE HISTORY OF CME GLOBEX FROM THE BEGINNING Jim Krause came to the futures industry from a job in temperature control and HVAC at  a company called MCC Powers. He followed Don Serpico, his supervisor at MCC Powers, who had been hired by...

JOHN VAN DER BLEEK – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

JOHN VAN DER BLEEK – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

Veteran Exchange Employee Shares His Firsthand Experience of Open Outcry and Electronic Trading at CME and CBOT John Van Der Bleek got his start in the markets after working for a hospital part time with someone later hired at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as an...

EERO PIKAT – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

EERO PIKAT – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

BARCHART EXECUTIVE REFLECTS ON THE CHANGES IN QUOTE TECHNOLOGY THAT FUELED THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRONIC TRADING Electronic trading changed the way quotes are generated, archived and delivered to traders, brokers and their clients over the internet. Barchart was a...

PETER FREDRIKSSON – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

PETER FREDRIKSSON – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

A SWEDISH PERSPECTIVE FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF ELECTRONIC TRADING  Peter Fredriksson was with OM in Sweden when they offered the first electronic trading platform. He later worked for Cinnober, which was one of many firms to be spun out of OM over the years, along with...

SCOTT KNUDSEN – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

SCOTT KNUDSEN – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

FORMER IMC TRADER AND EXECUTIVE OPENS UP ABOUT TRADING ON THE FLOOR, OFF THE FLOOR AND BUILDING THE GOAT TRADING SYSTEM AT IMC Scott Knudsen found his way to the world of trading by mistake on the online portal at the career center at the Northwestern University where...

BILL BRODSKY – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING, PART 2

BILL BRODSKY – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING, PART 2

Former Cboe Global Markets Chairman and CEO Bill Brodsky’s career in the financial industry spanned multiple decades and took him on a path from Wall Street to LaSalle Street. In a wide-ranging, two-part interview, he gave JLN an eyewitness view of the evolution of...

BILL BRODSKY – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING PART 1

BILL BRODSKY – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING PART 1

Former Cboe Global Markets Chairman and CEO Bill Brodsky’s career in the financial industry spanned multiple decades and took him on a path from Wall Street to LaSalle Street. In a wide-ranging, two-part interview, he gave JLN an eyewitness view of the evolution of...

RALPH MOSES – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

RALPH MOSES – THE PATH TO ELECTRONIC TRADING

Ralph Moses started in futures with Geldermann, helping them use a new IBM mainframe. He later started developing a system called Order Express for Lind Waldock, one of the first electronic trading front ends. He used an IBM System One mini computer with 2 MB of...