Paris, France New York, NY, USA May 17, 2006
A new study examines and compares the major changes looming for equities markets in Europe and the US.
Reg NMS (Regulation National Market System) in the US and MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) in Europe are ushering in major changes in the structure of the equities markets. Although frequently cited together, these two new pieces of regulation are frequently misunderstood, and differences between them abound. The report examines the most important components of Reg NMS and MiFID and discusses the resulting market structures, including:
- Best execution requirements
- Market data
- The role of exchanges and concentration rules
- Conduct of business rules
- Unbundling
Although European markets generally tend toward greater regulation than US markets, the roles here are reversed.
"Underpinning the European Commission痴 approach is a belief that regulators are not well-positioned to design market micro-structure, but should leave this to market forces. The SEC is taking a far more hands-on approach, with a level of detail and complexity that is sometimes surprising," says Octavio Marenzi, CEO of Celent and author of the report.
In addition to comparing and contrasting the regulations, the report examines where new business opportunities lie for market participants in the following areas:
- Sales of market data
- Algorithmic quoting
- Internalisation
- Execution services
