Global competition requires scaling of each individual trader. Challenges are to increase efficiency, speed, trade throughput and the complexity of your trading strategies while reducing cost and error rates. The full or partial automation of securities trading brings you closer to these goals and allows you to focus on the "big picture" rather than on individual transactions. This creates room for research and refinements of your trading strategies.

acarda - the specialist for automation and optimisation of your trading and investment management business processes. With our many years of experience in a variety of client projects, we are able to support you through all project phases: from system selection or implementation of software systems to the further development of existing system up to providing operative support. We are happy to introduce you to our approaches, solutions and expertise.

acarda's service portfolio - modules for your business:

• Algorithmic trading/securities trading
• Smart Order Routing (SOR)
• Automation of internal crossing
• Internal markets
• Development of trading strategies
• Straight-Through-Processing (STP)
• Optimisation of the process chain in trading
• Market and reference data management
• Exchange connectivity
• XETRA, EUREX, Apama, RTS, Sungard

acarda's core competences:

System implementation in front-, middle- and back office

• ACTUAL analysis, needs analysis, IDEAL conception
• Market analysis, system selection and evaluation
• System installation and integration
• Development of tests concepts, testing support and execution

Optimisation of processes, system development and support

• Analysis, optimisation and automation of the entire trading process chain
• Architecture of audits, redesign and refactoring of existing systems
• Data and interface management
• Performance tuning, including latency reduction and throughput increase
• Further development of 3rd-party or inhouse systems in front-, middle- or back office
• New exchange connectivity, connectivity of asset classes or interfaces, for instance VALUES, API, EBS/ETS/ERS, FIX-connectivity to brokers and hubs, connectivity of investment firms to banks for trading
• Maintenance, support and operation of the systems
• Release upgrades, including XETRA, EUREX, Apama

Development of trading strategies

• Mathematical/stochastic modelling of execution algorithms, including percent-of-volume, VWAP, implementation shortfalls
• Calculation of indicators, signals and filters
• Pricing of structured products
• New development of strategies, proof-of-concept, backtesting, prototyping, implementation
• Automation of manual strategies