UBS is in the early stages of sending orders wirelessly for its US equity trading business.
From fiber optic cables to dark fibre and microwaves, financial firms have spent the better part of a decade looking to slice fractions of milliseconds off how quickly they can trade stocks. Fiber optic cables are the most common way equity trading orders are sent. Some firms use a more advanced cable, known as dark fibre, while even a smaller subset use microwaves. Laser beams and millimeter waves are the latest innovation. While the technology is not as effective at longer distances, the close proximity between data centers in New Jersey makes it an ideal location.
Maintaining high performance on rainy days isn't the only motivating factor. Khandros said the bank is constantly evaluating ways to improve how it can execute clients' orders.