Insights & Analysis

FOW Professional: Timely market intelligence and detailed data at your fingertips

30th October, 2024

Data & Technology

In the fast-paced world of financial markets, access to accurate data and timely market commentary can be the difference between making informed decisions and missing opportunities. FOW, with its specialist focus and deep knowledge of the world’s futures and options markets, has been at the forefront of providing reference data and market intelligence to industry professionals for nearly 30 years. The launch of the new FOW Professional platform in November will provide a new and efficient way for market participants to access and utilise this wealth of knowledge.

F&O data, insights and analysis within a single platform

One of the most significant aspects of the new FOW Professional service is the integration of all FOW activity – data, insights, and analysis - within a single, user-friendly platform. Historically, the content provided by FOW was somewhat siloed, with different information components - reference data, market intelligence and analysis - accessed through separate platforms and subscriptions. By consolidating these resources, FOW is able to provide market participants with a more holistic view of the futures and options world, making it easier for users to find and use data and intelligence to inform trading strategies and investment decisions.

This new approach not only streamlines access for existing FOW customers, but also creates opportunities for a broader user base. For example, professionals operating in emerging markets can now filter for specific markets across FOW’s data and intelligence content in one platform. FOW Professional will also appeal to, and potentially empower, a broader universe of industry professionals, from traders and sales teams to fintech service providers and smaller firms with more constrained budgets and operational resources.

Richer content

The new FOW Professional platform is not simply a content repackaging exercise; it reflects a significant upgrade in the quality and scope of FOW’s market intelligence and analysis. Enhanced market and industry reporting capabilities will deliver a richer blend of timely updates and in-depth analysis. This approach ensures that users can stay abreast of immediate market developments, while also gaining insights into broader trends and structural changes.

One example of richer content in action is improved tracking of volumes and open interest data to provide users with a much more rounded view of market activity, particularly valuable in trading and market surveillance to support liquidity monitoring and to better anticipate market movements. The integration of critical reference data like trading dates and contract specifications means that a wide and deep set of timely and relevant information is accessible to users within the same platform, at the click of a button.

One of the most exciting aspects of FOW Professional is the closer alignment between FOW’s market intelligence and its extensive reference data capabilities. For many years, these two services operated independently, each offering value in their own right, but not necessarily in tandem. The new platform changes this dynamic, presenting both sets of information side-by-side, enabling users to see exactly the interrelationship between market intelligence and underlying data.

~ Luke Jeffs, Director of Content, FOW

This integration is particularly beneficial for market participants challenged with staying on top of evolving regulatory change, new contracts, and other market infrastructure developments. A user interested in the implications of recent anti-procyclicality regulations, for example, can now access detailed analysis of these changes alongside specific reference data to see how mandated changes are being implemented across different exchanges and instruments.

Democratising knowledge

FOW Professional has been created specifically to appeal to a diverse range of users, from large financial institutions to smaller firms and even individuals operating in today’s financial markets. Through bringing together a comprehensive suite of tools and insights within a single, accessible platform, FOW is democratising industry data access. This may be particularly appealing to smaller financial firms that don’t have the budget or resources to source and manage large and disparate datasets and market intelligence directly, nor the wherewithal to integrate it effectively within internal systems.

Traders benefit from nimble and flexible access to essential data points such as trading volumes and liquidity metrics; sales teams can analysis market trends and quickly retrieve quality reference data to inform their client discussions.

Brokers and service providers will appreciate the platform’s access flexibility and content breadth and depth. An intuitive interface and powerful search capabilities will ensure that all users, regardless of role or requirements, can quickly find the information that they need to inform their activities.

Easy to use with supercharged performance

Ease of use was the number one requirement in the design of the FOW Professional platform. The ability to navigate seamlessly and quickly between different datasets and content types, and find the right content at the right time, is an imperative in today’s high speed, high pressure financial markets. Recognising that time is always of the essence for all financial markets participants, FOW Professional is purpose built to remove access and navigational hassle.

An ‘always on’ service model requires minimal technical implementation knowhow or effort, a compelling USP for firms looking for a significant uptick in their market intelligence and reference data management capabilities without significant cost or overhead.

FOW Professional is a significant evolution in the delivery and management of specialist futures and options data, market intelligence and industry analysis, supporting every financial market participant negotiating the complexities and challenges of today’s futures and options markets, whatever their particular touchpoint. From traders to compliance teams, major institutions to small firms, FOW Professional is a powerful tool to inform decision-making and enhance performance.

Register your interest to gain early access to the platform now.