Trading Articles and News from our Blog

Stock Exchanges

Tick-Tick-Tick: How Ticker Symbols Shape the Financial System

30 Apr 2024 4 minutes

Ticker symbols are inconspicuous but crucial combinations of letters and digits that uniquely identify publicly traded companies and their products. Read below why the putatively simple codes are important for trading and investors and how they originate in the first place.

Stock Exchanges

Where to Go Public: Switzerland or the U.S.? These 5 Aspects Are Crucial

04 Apr 2024 5 minutes

Swiss companies that want to go public occasionally face the question of whether to do that in Switzerland or in the U.S. Read below what key factors play a role in deciding and why an exchange listing in Switzerland is often the more sensible route.

Financial Data

Switzerland’s Most Important Stock-Market Barometer: What Is the SMI?

25 Mar 2024 7 minutes

The SMI is the most prominent stock index in Switzerland and is a reflection of the country’s economy. But what else is the SMI important for, and how does it work? Read below what lies behind the SMI and what role it plays in the financial market.

Financial Data

4 Reasons Why Artificial Intelligence Hasn’t Revolutionized Post-Trading Yet, but Maybe Will Someday

08 Feb 2024 4 minutes

Post-trading is a volume business and a data business, so calls for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in post-trading operations haven’t been long in coming. Read below exactly why this makes it important to take one step at a time when it comes to identifying potential AI use cases.

Stock Exchanges

Market Abuse: Beware of These 6 Types of Scams

07 Dec 2023 6 minutes

An ancient Greek philosopher cornered the market for olive presses, and an officer proclaimed the alleged death of Napoleon: markets have been repeatedly manipulated throughout history. But what was long considered a trivial offense gets punished severely today. Read below what types of scams you should beware of in your business.

Stock Exchanges

CO2 Offset: How It Works, What It Delivers – and What Has to Change

30 Nov 2023 6 minutes

Many companies buy CO2 certificates to offset their CO2 emissions. How exactly does that work? And how big a benefit does it deliver?

Financial Market Infrastructure

3 Expectations of the Financial Sector for the Future that Were Not to Be Expected

22 Nov 2023 5 minutes

The second edition of the annual Future of Finance study shows increasing optimism among executives in the global financial markets. Read how companies plan to capitalize on this sentiment, including the integration of data and analytics and artificial intelligence.

Stock Exchanges

How Does an ETF Come into Being?

25 Oct 2023 7 minutes

ETFs rank among the most popular of all investment instruments. Read in this blog post why that is, how an ETF originates, and what happens between the initial conception of an ETF and its listing and trading on a securities exchange.

Crypto

The Impact of Distributed Ledger Technology on Asset Trading – 3 Examples

05 Oct 2023 4 minutes

Distributed Ledger Technology is changing the way assets are being traded today. Read how settlement is accelerated and trust is created in a decentralized way and what advantages smart contracts and tokenization have.

Stock Exchanges

Company Reports Concern All of Us to Some Degree, but How Do I Read Them Correctly?

14 Sep 2023 5 minutes

Whoever invests in stocks self-evidently owns shares in a given company. But how does one stay abreast of its business performance? Read below why company reports reveal much more about an enterprise than just bare numbers.

Financial Market Infrastructure

The US Will Soon Be Settling Trades within a Day – What Does That Mean for Europe?

03 Aug 2023 5 minutes

From May 2024 in the US trades will be settled within a single work day. There’s now talk in Europe of doing the same. Find out what benefits that might bring, and where the stumbling blocks might be.

Financial Data

What Is ESG? And Why Is Everybody Talking about Sustainability?

26 Jul 2023 4 minutes

The ESG theme has been booming in recent years. Companies must become more sustainable and more transparent. But what does ESG actually mean? Who determines how sustainable companies are? And why is a good ESG rating so important these days?

Stock Exchanges

Spain Takes Over the Presidency of the EU Council – And Yes, This Is Also Important for Switzerland

13 Jul 2023 5 minutes

Spain will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union until the end of 2023. Read why this is also important for non-EU member Switzerland and whether the differences between the two countries are really so big.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Confidence, Transparency, Complexity: This Is How the Buy-Side looks at Digital Assets and ESG Investing

04 Jul 2023 4 minutes

Digital assets have reached a pivotal point in their journey towards mainstream, widespread institutional adoption. The pace and scale at which integration of ESG considerations into investment strategies is now happening across the global investment space is unprecedented. Read on to learn how investment managers recognize the respective growth potential presented by both areas.

Company Growth

Startup ClimateTrade Facilitates the Financing of Projects That Reduce or Eliminate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

06 Jun 2023 2 minutes

In the Elevator Pitch blog series, startup companies that SIX supports or advises introduce themselves. Today, you’ll get to know ClimateTrade. CEO and co-founder Francisco Benedito explains how he and his team approach the pressing problem of climate change.

Financial Data

4 Big Burdens in Dealing with Tax Regulations and How Financial Institutions Can Ease Them

11 May 2023 4 Minutes

Taxation rules and regulations are constantly evolving and creating new reporting standards, necessitating greater resources and threatening the unwary with substantial fines and reputational damage. Get an overview below of the biggest challenges, and read what you need to overcome them.

Stock Exchanges

Exchange-Traded Art: Can We All (Co-)Own a Picasso Now?

13 Apr 2023 4 minutes

For a minimum of 100 euro you’re in luck: the Liechtenstein-based ARTEX enables you to co-own works of art and to trade shares in them. Read below why not even blockchain technology is needed for this and why reliable traditional clearing and settlement mechanisms are used instead.

Financial Data

Sustainable Investment Strategies and a New Type of Responsibility for Asset Managers

05 Apr 2023 4 minutes

Sustainable investment is the order of the day. Read on to find out what the most important sustainable investment strategies are, and how important transparency is for asset managers.

Stock Exchanges

What Does a Finfluencer Actually Do?

23 Feb 2023 4 minutes

Angela Mygind is a finfluencer known by the pseudonym Miss Finance. She imparts financial knowledge to her audience in an easy-to-understand way on her media channels. How did she set that up? And what does the job of a finfluencer entail? Read on in this blog post to find out.

Crypto

Digital Assets: Let’s Talk about Tokens

16 Feb 2023 4 minutes

Blockchain and distributed ledger technology in general have given birth to a dizzying array of new terminology, including terms like “crypto,” “coin,” and “token.” Learn below what a token is and what types of tokens exist.

Financial Data

What Actually Is an ESG Index?

02 Feb 2023 5 minutes

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue in the financial sector. Investing is no longer just about profitability, but also about an investment’s social and environmental impact. ESG indices can serve as a basis for sustainable investment products. Read below about what an ESG index is and how one comes into being.

Stock Exchanges

What Causes Inflation, and Is It Followed by a Recession?

26 Jan 2023 5 minutes

The prices of many goods have risen in recent months. Talk of inflation is on everyone’s tongue. Read below how inflation originates, when a recession arrives, and what that means for stock markets.

Financial Data

Economic Sanctions and the Capital Market: How Financial Institutions Keep Themselves Unscathed

19 Jan 2023 3 minutes

Economic sanctions are being imposed ever more frequently. This also has impacts on the capital market. Read below how financial institutions succeed in keeping track of the sanctions landscape and avoiding fines and reputation damage.

Company Growth

Startup FQX Makes It Possible to Provide Regulated and Decentralized Corporate Finance on Blockchain

01 Dec 2022 3 minutes

In the Elevator Pitch blog series, startup companies that are supported or accompanied by SIX introduce themselves. Today you’ll get acquainted with FQX. Co-CEO and co-founder Benedikt Schuppli explains how he and his team aim to revolutionize the way companies are financed.

Financial Market Infrastructure

A Safe Place for Assets under Custody – Even in Turbulent Times

22 Nov 2022 4 minutes

Assets need to be safe at all times – not only in crises. In times of change, however, well-thought-out concepts prove particularly successful. Read about the three pillars on which the safe custody of assets at SIX is based.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Future of Finance Study by SIX: Here Are 4 Selected Findings That Will Surprise You

10 Nov 2022 4 minutes

SIX asked executives from the financial industry about their assessment of future developments. Here you can read a selection of the results that were not necessarily expected.

Stock Exchanges

Investing in the Stock Market: 3 Reasons Why You Should Start Today

03 Nov 2022 5 minutes

The economy is trending downward, stock prices are falling, and inflation rates are on the upswing. Read on to discover why, in spite of this – or perhaps because of it – now is a good time to start investing in the stock market.

Crypto

DeFi, DApps, and the Like: How the Financial System Is Becoming Decentralized

29 Sep 2022 4 minutes

Now that the word “blockchain” appears to have crept into everyday parlance, neologisms like “DeFi” and “DApps” are going around these days. Find out in this blog post what they mean and how they’re changing the world of finance.

Stock Exchanges

How Challenges in Equity Research Are Affecting SMEs

22 Jun 2022 5 minutes

Regulatory, technological, and other factors have come together to jeopardize the value of equity research and even its quality. Read this blog post to learn how this is impacting small and medium-sized companies in particular by affecting their liquidity and room for growth.

Financial Data

IRS: The World’s Most International Government Agency

15 Jun 2022 5 minutes

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) played a prominent role in a Hollywood film, got a mob boss arrested and convicted, and also collects taxes from non-US citizens living abroad. Find out how the IRS became famous the world over.

Financial Data

EU ESG Regulations: How Can Financial Institutions Overcome the Upcoming Challenges?

17 May 2022 3 minutes

The EU Taxonomy and SFDR are the single-largest pieces of ESG-related legislation introduced anywhere in the world, and their compliance requirements are equally daunting. Find out what financial institutions now need to know and who can help.

Financial Data

Data Facilitates Markets

27 Apr 2022 3 minutes

Financial information is an ever-growing mainstay in the diversified business portfolio of SIX. But the importance of data goes beyond just being a source of income: Data links different businesses and even industries together. Read how data creates transparency, makes processes more efficient, and enables growth.

Stock Exchanges

How Do Stock Exchange Quotes Get on Television?

17 Mar 2022 5 minutes

Every weekday, just before the evening news, Swiss Television presents the latest stock market prices on its financial news show SRF Börse. Where do the quotes actually come from? And how do they get on TV?

Stock Exchanges

Tackling Climate Change: Why Exchanges Play a Crucial Role

15 Mar 2022 3 minutes

In a new whitepaper SIX examined how exchanges can help fight climate change. Read in the following interview, why they play an important role in this regard.

Stock Exchanges

Zürich, Switzerland

Financial Literacy: Key to Success

24 Feb 2022 6 minutes

Financial literacy can improve both your understanding, and your ability to use financial skills. What financial literacy means is explained below by Andrea Weidemann, director of the Swiss Finance Museum.

Stock Exchanges

Sustainable Finance: Inspired by Christiana Figueres – A Podcast on the Effect of Stubborn Optimism

16 Feb 2022 20 minutes

Sabine Döbeli, CEO Swiss Sustainable Finance, remembers a time when sustainable financial markets were still a niche topic. Find out why Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres was already an inspiration back then and where the Swiss financial center stands today.

Financial Data

Wealth Management in Change: 4 Competencies the Industry Needs to Build for the Future

09 Feb 2022 4 minutes

Like other business areas within the Swiss financial center, wealth management is facing major challenges. What adjustments to the business model are necessary? Find out which competencies will be helpful in connection with data and technology.

Crypto

Can You Buy an NFT for a Hundred Swiss Francs? A Self-Experiment, Part 2

26 Jan 2022 9 minutes

Is it possible to buy an NFT for 100 Swiss francs or less? In the first part of this story, I got derailed by the exorbitant fees on the Ethereum blockchain. I’ll give it a try now on Solana. Will it work this time?

Crypto

Can You Buy an NFT for a Hundred Swiss Francs? A Self-Experiment, Part 1

19 Jan 2022 9 minutes

Can a person buy an NFT for 100 Swiss francs? Never did I expect that seeking an answer to that question would turn into a veritable odyssey. But read for yourself how the journey took me to the brink of despair and back again, and learn what an NFT is in the first place.

Stock Exchanges

What Can Capital Markets in Latin America Learn from Europe for Their Growth?

04 Jan 2022 3 minutes

Although Latin America does not have a connected capital market like the EU, the region is maturing. Read how capital markets there have recovered in 2021, how they are consolidating, what ESG means for a region dominated by commodities, and what regulation has to do with it.

Stock Exchanges

Daniel Kalt

Have Equity Markets Decoupled from the Real Economy?

17 Nov 2021 6 minutes

Stock exchanges around the world are registering all-time highs in the midst of a pandemic. Equity markets appear to have decoupled from the real economy. UBS Chief Economist Daniel Kalt explains why that impression is misleading, and what’s driving investors to the stock exchanges.

Stock Exchanges

Inspired by Sheryl Sandberg: The Impact of Taking Control

06 Oct 2021 18 minutes

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, has inspired many women around the world with her book “Lean In.” One of them is the blogger Angela Mygind, better known under her pseudonym “Miss Finance.” In our podcast, she explains why women should take their financial planning into their own hands and why financial literacy is important.

Stock Exchanges

Capital Markets Embrace Sustainability: Three Factors That Drive Inflows Into ESG Assets

09 Sep 2021 4 minutes

Financial market infrastructures like SIX with its stock exchanges in Switzerland and Spain are playing an increasingly important role in helping sustainable companies – or those in transition – obtain financing through the capital markets. The ascendency of ESG-linked assets, i.e. those taking environmental, social or governance factors into account, shows no sign of decelerating. However, some challenges are not yet resolved.

Stock Exchanges

Javier Hernani,

Securities Services: Developing Innovations That Today Shape the Securities Landscape of Tomorrow

27 Jul 2021 6 minutes

Javier Hernani, Head Securities Services at SIX, takes stock in an interim review after his first few months in office. He explains that securities services are more than just post-trade services, and points out the opportunities that an industry in a constant state of regulatory change presents.

Crypto

4 Trends Impacting Exchanges – and 5 Building Blocks They Need to Base Their Strategy for the Future On

15 Jul 2021 5 minutes

In this blog post, Peter T. Golder, Global Head of Commercial at SIX Digital Exchange will look at the trends around digital assets and cryptocurrencies that are likely to shape the future of exchanges.

Stock Exchanges

ETF Trading: When Two Worlds Meet

12 Jul 2021 5 minutes

The term "Exchange Traded Funds" suggests, that the natural trading venue for ETFs is the stock exchange. In practice, however, these products are mainly traded over the counter. The Swiss stock exchange is trying to change this with innovative functionalities.

Stock Exchanges

Prof. Thorsten Hens

When Emotional Investment Is a Bad Thing

06 Jul 2021 7 minutes

Obviously, investors have an objective: returns. But that’s not the only thing that counts. You also have to feel comfortable with your investment strategy. Investing isn’t an exact science. Our investment decisions are governed by psychological factors.

Financial Data

The Future of Sustainable Finance

25 Jun 2021 4 minutes

Sustainable finance is the practice of taking environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into account when making investment decisions, leading to more sustainable economic activities and projects. Today investment funds that use ESG have more than $50 trillion in capital and are growing fast. Indeed, it may be this tsunami of ESG capital investment that will produce the sort of “stakeholder capitalism” envisioned by the World Economic Forum and the OECD as being the future of trade and investment.

Stock Exchanges

Microwaves – the Fastest Connection between Data Centers

22 Jun 2021 2 minutes

Stock exchanges around the world are planning to move their data centers. This is making headlines and prompting Gregor Braun, Head Sales Switzerland & Europe at SIX Swiss Exchange, to think about the fastest possible connection between markets: point-to-point, via microwave technology.

Stock Exchanges

ESG Bonds Boom

04 May 2021 3 minutes

Green, Social, and Sustainable Bonds (ESG Bonds) are becoming increasingly relevant on the capital markets. The volume issued is growing exponentially from year to year. With the Swiss Exchange and BME, SIX offers corresponding listing locations and trading venues in Switzerland and Spain.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Inspired by John Law: The End of Banking

28 Apr 2021 17 minutes

Jürg Müller from the think tank Avenir Suisse describes in our podcast how debt and the creation of money are connected. It’s a principle that economist John Law understood – and applied already 300 years ago.

Stock Exchanges

Traders Learning the Ropes

28 Apr 2021 3 minutes

Philippe Kayasseh, Senior Education Specialist at SIX, is jointly responsible for educational and advanced training courses concerning the SIX Swiss Exchange and the financial markets. The course offerings are aimed at traders and reporting agents in and outside Switzerland and include accredited certification and recertification courses.

Stock Exchanges

Welcome to the Guided Tour of the Madrid Stock Exchange

02 Feb 2021 2 minutes

A new 360-degree virtual guided tour allows visitors to explore the historic building that houses the Madrid Stock Exchange. Walk through different rooms, access information points, and learn about the exciting history of the Madrid Stock Exchange, which has been part of SIX since June 2020.

Stock Exchanges

“Investing in Gender Equality Is Key For Sustainable Development.”

17 Nov 2020 6 minutes

Impact investing is a trending topic. As a specific form of impact investing gender lens investing focuses particularly on gender equality and the inclusion of women in the economy. How does this topic influence the financial industry? What are the social and economic impacts when investing with a gender lens? And how does it pay off for investors? SIX asked three experts on the subject at a panel discussion in Zurich.

Crypto

Kevin Abosch, Juan Dominguez

Tokenization: Are Works of Art the New Stocks?

26 Mar 2020 10 minutes

Blockchain technology enables trading of digitized assets, a category that can also include non-bankable assets such as real estate and paintings. Technology-savvy conceptual artist Kevin Abosch and Juan Dominguez from the investment platform Maecenas discuss the impacts on the art market.

Financial Data

Sail or Sink: Navigating Sanctions Risk in a Pre-trade Environment

19 Jul 2019 3 minutes

While investing, the environment is getting more and more complex. Taking care of market, credit and change risks is not enough to transact safely; you also need to know if you are investing in sanctions-tainted assets and if those in your portfolio are still okay.

Financial Data

Booming Corporate Actions Volumes – Is There a Solution for the Back Office?

10 Jul 2019 3 minutes

Automation allows cost reductions, but above all a focusing of available specialists on the really important tasks. SIX offers such a solution focused on automation of Corporate Actions.

Financial Data

Fiscal Matters Made Easy: SIX on Tax

22 May 2018 6 minutes

High-quality financial information is the very foundation of what enables banks to comply with increasingly complex and ever-changing tax regulations. SIX supplies this data reliably and even goes beyond that by providing supplemental advanced services concerning tax matters.

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Read all articles about: trading

Tick-Tick-Tick: How Ticker Symbols Shape the Financial System

Where to Go Public: Switzerland or the U.S.? These 5 Aspects Are Crucial

Switzerland’s Most Important Stock-Market Barometer: What Is the SMI?

4 Reasons Why Artificial Intelligence Hasn’t Revolutionized Post-Trading Yet, but Maybe Will Someday

Market Abuse: Beware of These 6 Types of Scams

CO2 Offset: How It Works, What It Delivers – and What Has to Change

3 Expectations of the Financial Sector for the Future that Were Not to Be Expected

How Does an ETF Come into Being?

The Impact of Distributed Ledger Technology on Asset Trading – 3 Examples

Company Reports Concern All of Us to Some Degree, but How Do I Read Them Correctly?

The US Will Soon Be Settling Trades within a Day – What Does That Mean for Europe?

What Is ESG? And Why Is Everybody Talking about Sustainability?

Spain Takes Over the Presidency of the EU Council – And Yes, This Is Also Important for Switzerland

Confidence, Transparency, Complexity: This Is How the Buy-Side looks at Digital Assets and ESG Investing

Startup ClimateTrade Facilitates the Financing of Projects That Reduce or Eliminate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

4 Big Burdens in Dealing with Tax Regulations and How Financial Institutions Can Ease Them

Exchange-Traded Art: Can We All (Co-)Own a Picasso Now?

Sustainable Investment Strategies and a New Type of Responsibility for Asset Managers

What Does a Finfluencer Actually Do?

Digital Assets: Let’s Talk about Tokens

What Actually Is an ESG Index?

What Causes Inflation, and Is It Followed by a Recession?

Economic Sanctions and the Capital Market: How Financial Institutions Keep Themselves Unscathed

Startup FQX Makes It Possible to Provide Regulated and Decentralized Corporate Finance on Blockchain

A Safe Place for Assets under Custody – Even in Turbulent Times

Future of Finance Study by SIX: Here Are 4 Selected Findings That Will Surprise You

Investing in the Stock Market: 3 Reasons Why You Should Start Today

DeFi, DApps, and the Like: How the Financial System Is Becoming Decentralized

How Challenges in Equity Research Are Affecting SMEs

IRS: The World’s Most International Government Agency

EU ESG Regulations: How Can Financial Institutions Overcome the Upcoming Challenges?

Data Facilitates Markets

How Do Stock Exchange Quotes Get on Television?

Tackling Climate Change: Why Exchanges Play a Crucial Role

Financial Literacy: Key to Success

Sustainable Finance: Inspired by Christiana Figueres – A Podcast on the Effect of Stubborn Optimism

Wealth Management in Change: 4 Competencies the Industry Needs to Build for the Future

Can You Buy an NFT for a Hundred Swiss Francs? A Self-Experiment, Part 2

Can You Buy an NFT for a Hundred Swiss Francs? A Self-Experiment, Part 1

What Can Capital Markets in Latin America Learn from Europe for Their Growth?

Have Equity Markets Decoupled from the Real Economy?

Inspired by Sheryl Sandberg: The Impact of Taking Control

Capital Markets Embrace Sustainability: Three Factors That Drive Inflows Into ESG Assets

Securities Services: Developing Innovations That Today Shape the Securities Landscape of Tomorrow

4 Trends Impacting Exchanges – and 5 Building Blocks They Need to Base Their Strategy for the Future On

ETF Trading: When Two Worlds Meet

When Emotional Investment Is a Bad Thing

The Future of Sustainable Finance

Microwaves – the Fastest Connection between Data Centers

ESG Bonds Boom

Inspired by John Law: The End of Banking

Traders Learning the Ropes

Welcome to the Guided Tour of the Madrid Stock Exchange

“Investing in Gender Equality Is Key For Sustainable Development.”

Tokenization: Are Works of Art the New Stocks?

Sail or Sink: Navigating Sanctions Risk in a Pre-trade Environment

Booming Corporate Actions Volumes – Is There a Solution for the Back Office?

Fiscal Matters Made Easy: SIX on Tax

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