Boxes and Lines

It’s the debut of “Dear Boxes and Lines,” our listener mailbag series in which Ronan and JR are answering listeners’ most pressing questions. What would JR and Ronan change about market structure if they could wave their magic wands? What’s the hardest thing about operating a stock exchange? Who are their dream guests? (Elvis, we’ll figure out how to get your invite sent to the Great Graceland in the Sky). Hit play and get to know Ronan and JR outside the boxes and lines. Recorded July 12, 2023.

Duncan Higgins, founder of Sustainable Trading, joins Ronan and JR to discuss what it means to “trade sustainably.” They also touch on the environmental impact of data centers, the creation and implementation of best practices for firms (should employees be powering computers with stationary bikes?), and the global effects of changes in ESG legislation. Recorded June 21, 2023. 

We’re dipping into our archives for this episode of Boxes and Lines and revisiting our episode with Eric “Batch” Budish (nickname bestowed by us), the Paul G. McDermott Professor of Economics and Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, whose groundbreaking paper, “The High Frequency Trading Arms Race: Frequent Batch Auctions as a Market Design Response” has helped shape exchange design proposals in stock markets and futures markets. Featuring an updated intro from Ronan and JR. Original episode recorded July 28, 2021.

Ronan and JR are joined by Eric Stockland and Joe Wald of BMO Capital Markets on our latest episode to discuss the recent proposed market reforms by the SEC. Listen as they navigate the intricate web of regulations and the potential impact these reforms could have on the stock market, investors and the future of financial markets. Recorded April 5, 2023. 

On the newest episode of Boxes and Lines, Ronan and JR chat with Dana Petitto, Managing Director of Brookfield Real Estate Group and CFO of Brookfield REIT. Dana discusses how she was able to strategically envision and implement growth in a functional way as her company’s portfolio has grown significantly during her 18-year tenure. The gang also talks about growing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and how to navigate working from home while fostering an in-office culture. Dana describes her various roles in organizations that support women and mothers and the importance of providing support and networking opportunities for women in finance. Recorded March 28, 2023.

Allow us to introduce Dispatch, a digital commerce platform powered by Web3, and one of IEX’s portfolio of businesses. In this live interview at the Dispatch Studio pop-up (which took place during this year’s #NFTNYC), Ronan and JR talk to Byron Sorrells, CEO and Co-Founder of Dispatch, and Eugene Hu, Head of Global Partnerships at Ledger, about the fascinating intersection between blockchain “magic” and ecommerce, the current state of Web3 (and what it is, anyway), and the real-world uses cases it currently enables. Recorded April 12, 2023.

Ronan and JR are joined by Armando Diaz, CEO of institutional trading platform PureStream. Seeing a need for platforms that could better scale and be more efficient, Armando built PureStream from the bottom up with the hopes of making a difference in the industry. The group discusses what exactly goes into launching a venue, the biggest pain points in the world of institutional trading today - plus what's most exciting about it. Recorded on March 9, 2023.

Getting regular manicures is expensive and time consuming, inspiring Rachel Apfel Glass to found a subscription-based, waterless nail service in 2018 in New York City. Since then, ex-hedge funder Glass has grown her business to include various cities throughout the country. Listen as guest host and IEXer Jayme Abrahamsen returns to interview Rachel, discussing the genesis of her idea, what it’s been like as an entrepreneur and CEO in the space, and where Glosslab is headed in the future. Recorded March 1, 2023.

Aaron Brown, Bloomberg columnist and former managing director and head of financial market research at AQR Capital Management joins Ronan and JR on this episode of Boxes + Lines to chat about the intersection of poker and finance. Aaron deals some great insights into the mind of a professional gambler and the kind of thinking that makes not just a successful poker player, but a successful trader as well. He shares tales from the secretive world of pro poker in the 80’s and bets on the future of AI trading. Recorded February 21, 2023. 

Steve Kaminsky of Jump Crypto joins Ronan and JR on this episode of Boxes + Lines to break down The Pyth Network, an oracle that acts as a bridge between on-chain and off-chain applications to provide crypto values and other market data. The group discusses the value of using Pyth and the benefits that come along with contributing data to the network. We also hear about the latest crypto trends to keep an eye on. Recorded January 19, 2023.