Business
The London International Financial Futures and Option Exchange (LIFFE) ceases open out-cry floor trading today as all listings move to the electronic trading system Liffe Connect.
From Monday all non-financial products will be listed on the Connect system, making the exchange a completely electronic platform. The more complex financial listings have gradually been computerised over the past year. The Connect system trades over £280bn every day and was created by an in-house team Traders affected by the computerisation will be employed in other sectors of the exchange including back office jobs, system design and sales. However, there will be some redundancies, a spokesman for the company said. LIFFE plans to capitalise on its Connect system through recently announced partnerships with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and US-based venture capital firms, the Blackstone Group and Battery Ventures. B2B marketplaces and internet technology could result in new stock exchanges dedicated to certain industries or technologies, and LIFFE and its partners would target these new markets, the spokesman said.