Thomson Reuters forex volumes slide to lowest in four months

Daily volumes on rival EBS, the main venue for trading spot euros, yen and Swiss francs against the dollar, fell 47 per cent on the year to $68.5 billion. Those on Reuters Matching, Dealing and Trading for FX fell to $90 billion from $130 billion a year ago and $110 a month earlier.

Industry players say that a combination of low interest rates across the developed world and an uncertain regulatory environment have hammered volumes of trade in the spot foreign exchange market over the past year. Volatility on the main developed world currencies, which tends to go hand in hand with volume and profit for traders, is at long-term lows.

Volumes on Thomson Reuters' buyside-focused business, FXall, rose 22 per cent on the year to $132 billion, unchanged from a month earlier. ■