Working from Home Poses Real Challenge to Traders

Remote working is now one of the top daily challenges facing traders and a development that will likely boost the use of technology and electronic trading in the months ahead, a survey by JPMorgan released on Tuesday showed.

According to the survey of 260 fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) traders conducted in December, almost a third cited the availability of liquidity -- how quickly and easy it is to buy and sell an asset in markets -- as their chief trading challenge.

That was followed by workflow efficiency and remote working, a new addition that highlights the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on trading floors following widespread lockdowns that began almost a year ago.

According to the survey, 77% of respondents said they worked from home between March and June for an average of four days a week, with 21% reporting a change in the their execution style. Many cited increased electronic trading.

For 2021, 55% of respondents said they expected to work from home for an average of four days a week, with 18% saying their execution style could continue to change going forward -- again mostly through increased electronic trading./Reuters