Imported from previous forum
[ original email was from Carrie Gallagher - cgallagher@aegisoft.com ]
Aegis Software Extends Algo Trading to Energy Futures
First Software Vendor to Certify with the Latest ICE Technology
CHICAGO, November 28, 2006 - Today at the 22nd Annual FIA Futures & Options Expo, New York-based Aegis Software Inc. announced that its AthenaTrader platform now supports direct connectivity to the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). The AthenaTrader is an Execution Management System (EMS) for global equities, futures, options and foreign exchange, with extensive support for algorithmic, quantitative, portfolio and basket trading. ICE is a leading electronic marketplace for trading energy futures and OTC commodity products for oil, natural gas, power and emissions. Having officially certified with the ICE, AthenaTrader customers can now connect directly to the ICE to trade futures and OTC cleared contracts.
ICE offers a FIX 4.2 based interface that enables third party applications to access ICE’s markets. A new feature of the interface is the ability to access market data via the FIX protocol. This feature reportedly offers substantially higher performance over the legacy market data API, and Aegis is the first ISV to certify with this new market data FIX interface.
“In today’s financial marketplace, asset managers, hedge funds and brokerage houses continue to rely on advanced technology to gain a competitive edge,” said Norm Friedman, Vice President at Aegis. “Athena’s support of ICE is consistent with Aegis’ strategy to offer the fastest, most direct connectivity to all major liquidity pools. Energy trading is so fast paced, NYMEX has listed some contracts on the CME and, in a similar vein, many of our Athena customers want direct high speed access to the ICE”.
ICE operates the leading market for trading Brent crude futures, a key benchmark for pricing crude oil, as well as trading cleared Henry Hub contracts, the most actively traded natural gas hub in North America. “This gives us a more cost-effective alternative to NYMEX contracts,” said Mark Frank of InTrade LLC, “and it expands our opportunities to arb between the exchanges”.
About Aegis Software
Aegis Software has been addressing the trading and quality assurance needs of the financial services industry since 1994. Aegis’ products include algorithmic trading (“Athena”), FIX, CMS, CTCI and LiffeConnect protocols (“Athena Gateway Server”), and the premier FIX testing solutions in the industry: Exchange Simulator and Client Simulator. For more information, visit www.aegisoft.com, email info@aegisoft.com, or call 212-268-3100.
Media Contact:
Carrie Gallagher
212-651-9490
info@aegisoft.com