The Challenges of Systematic Trading in an OTC Market

In this episode I speak with Harel Jacobson, an FX volatility trader.

There is a lot that makes the FX volatility market unique.  For starters, the end users are more focused on hedging cash-flow and liquidity than wealth.  Since the underlying is currency pairs, volatility surface arbitrage conditions become multi-dimensional.  And then there is the global geopolitical event calendar to consider.

Did I mention that trades are performed, almost exclusively, OTC?  So even something like price discovery, which we take for granted on listed exchanges, is non-trivial.  Especially if you want to backtest a new research idea.

This is a fascinating conversation into a fairly niche, but important global market.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Harel Jacobson.