Finding Liquidity in a High Volatility Environment
After lying mostly dormant for years, volatility has returned to the US equity markets, driven by the pandemic, political turmoil, economic uncertainty and retail herd trading. What are fund managers and brokers learning from the experience? Are US trading halts worthwhile? Are ETFs trading as they should? Did trading tools and strategies that functioned well enough when volatility was low continue to work when volume and volatility soared? What lessons did traders have to re-learn?

Panelists:
• Brian Fagen, Managing Director, Head of Execution Services, BNP Paribas
• Kevin Sweeney, Managing Director, Head of Cash Equity and Exchange Traded Derivatives Execution, Americas, Societe Generale
• Derek de Petra, Head of Trading, Artisan Partners
• Carrie Freeborough, Senior Vice President | Head of Trading, Mackenzie Investments

How Are Buy-Side Traders Responding to ECM Innovation
The ECM market is evolving fast. There’s been unprecedented deal flow, increased wall crosses, modified auctions, the reemergence of SPACs, and the advent of direct listings. Which technologies are facilitating this change, and how are traders adapting to this new reality?  In this session, we’ll explore the new forces at play, the market’s initial response or lack of, and the emerging technologies that can address the challenges of today’s ECM market.

Moderated by: Michael Wilcox, Co-Founder, Capital Markets Gateway

Panelists:
• Ben Batory, SVP - Head of Franklin Equity Group Trading, Franklin Templeton Investments
• Kristen Grippi, Senior Managing Director, Head of Equity Capital Markets, Evercore
• Todd Cuccia, Senior Equity Trader and Director of Equity Capital Markets,Senator Investment Group
• Todd Skacan, Head Trader, T. Rowe Price

Tools for Evaluating ETF Liquidity and Execution Strategy
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are known for their tradability. But how should investors evaluate liquidity across ETFs seeking to track different sectors, geographies, and asset classes? We will explore frameworks and tools to evaluate ETF liquidity and execution strategy options across the board.

Panelists:
• Andrew Upward, ETF Strategist, Jane Street
• Colin Ireland, CFA, Head of Sales Execution and Institutional Strategy,State Street Global Advisors
• Will Askew, Senior Trader, Nutmeg

Best Execution in the New Competitive Exchange Landscape
With three new exchanges opening for business in the US in 2020, America’s equity markets are more competitive than ever. How does the new competitive environment change the way buyside traders and their brokers route orders and design execution strategies? And how much of the benefits of this new exchange competition finds its way to the buyside, and how much to brokers?

Moderated by: Jason Siegendorf, Head of Trading Analytics, Harris Associates L.P.

Speakers:
• Guhao Wu, Head of Quantitative Research, Electronic Equities, Deutsche Bank (BNP Paribas as of March 29)
• Asad Bhatti, Senior Director, Equities Execution Consultant, Cboe Global Markets

SRLN – Expanding the Frontiers of ETF Liquidity
Confidence in tracking and tradability of ETFs based on less-liquid underlying assets increased significantly when liquidity in those products remained orderly in March 2020. Additional credence was given to the ETF structure when the Fed began buying corporate bond ETFs in May of 2020 to support the underlying corporate bond market. What about ETFs based on senior loans? While the Fed did not purchase loan ETFs, the $10B category has proven to be a space garnering assets quickly, and demonstrating that the ETF wrapper is quite appropriate for the asset class. In this session we’ll look at how liquidity is managed in the SPDR/Blackstone Actively managed senior loan ETF, SRLN, and highlight the advantages of the ETF wrapper over all other product types. We will also discuss how such ETFs handle the creation/redemption mechanism and how liquidity providers work with investors in providing ample liquidity. Join us for an explanation of the frontiers of senior loan ETF liquidity.

Moderated by: Brad Kotler, Vice President, SPDR ETF Fixed Income Group (FIG), State Street Global Advisors

Panelists:
• Gordon McKemie, Managing Director, Blackstone
• Oliver Friedberg, Macro Credit Trading, Goldman Sachs

Wildfire: Understanding the GameStop Short Squeeze
The GameStop short squeeze seemingly came out of nowhere, a forest fire sparked by some comments by retail investors on a message board. In this session, we’ll examine the mechanics that made the GameStop, AMC and other short squeezes so powerful, and we’ll discuss how retail investors might disrupt institutional portfolios in different ways in the future.

Panelists:
• Kevin Sweeney, Head of Cash & Exchange Traded Derivatives, Americas, Societe Generale
• Neil Bond, Former Head Trader, Ardevora Asset Management
• Asad Bhatti, Head of Equities Execution Consulting, Cboe Global Markets
• Jason Wallach, Chief Operating Officer, CODA Markets

CRBs in Today’s Marketplace
How have central risk books evolved in today’s US equity market as volatility ebbs and flows? Has investment bank principal liquidity held its own in terms of market share compared to agency trades and dark pools? And how has CRB execution quality compared to other sources of liquidity?

Panelists: 
• Mani Singh, Managing Director, Global Head of Platform Sales, Citi
• Mehmet Kinak, Global Head of Systematic Trading, T. Rowe Price
• John Bright, Head Trader, US Systematic Trading, Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMRCo)

The US Equity Marketplace: A Conversation with James Angel
The events of 2020 have tested US equity market as never before, and now, as the US prepares to inaugurate a new President, the course of market structure regulation may change for the next four years. Join TraderForum to explore these issues in a wide-ranging conversation with James Angel, associate professor of finance at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a longtime student of financial markets and exchanges worldwide. We’ll look at US regulation, market data governance and exchange resilience and competitiveness worldwide.

Presented by: James Angel, Associate Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University

Evaluating Execution Quality and Market Performance
In today’s complex, multipolar US equity market structure, how can buyside traders determine the appropriate use of market centers and the optimal order-routing strategy? How can investment managers monitor execution quality across multiple exchanges, alternative trading systems and electronic liquidity providers? What resources and techniques should buyside firms have at their disposal to navigate the trading landscape?

Moderated by: Enrico Cacciatore, Senior Quantitative Trader – Head of Market Structure & Trading Analytics, Voya Investment Management

Presented by: Asad Bhatti, Head of Equities Execution Consulting, Cboe Global Markets