UNX
UNX LLC is an independent trading technology firm and a registered agency broker (member of FINRA/SIPC) that provides advanced electronic trading technology solutions to a diverse client base which includes traditional asset managers, pension funds, hedge funds and sell side execution desks. UNX has offices in Burbank, California and New York, New York.
History
UNX was incorporated in 1999 as a provider of direct market access trading systems to institutional clients. In 2000, the company launched Basket Trading Center, a web based single STOCK and portfolio trading platform that provided clients access to North American execution venues. That year, UNX also launched its smart routing and tactical order routing engine. In 2002, UNX acquired Embarcadero Securities and launched the Metabook Execution Management System. In 2009, UNX introduced the broker-neutral Catalyst platform and began the process of integrating trading algorithms of major broker-dealers into the UNX Marketplace.
Throughout 2010, UNX integrated equity algorithms and electronic trading services from Credit Suisse, Girard Securities, Goldman Sachs Electronic Trading, Mizuho Securities, Rosenblatt Securities and UBS Investment Bank into its trading connectivity network available through the Catalyst Portal. In 2010, UNX further expanded its broker network to include international equities trading and enhanced its connectivity network by adding algorithms and electronic trading services of JMP Securities and Sterne, Agee and Leach to its Broker Marketplace. In 2011, UNX collaborated with Titan Trading Analytics to provide behavioral research and trading strategies through the Catalyst Portal.
Products and services
Catalyst Execution Management System
The Catalyst Portal offers an open-framework, customizable Execution Management System that provides broker-neutral access to global equity markets and supports single stock, pairs and portfolio trading capabilities. Clients can leverage trading algorithms and liquidity pools of a wide array of broker-dealers.
Software Development Kit
Institutional clients, broker-dealers, stock exchanges, Alternative Trading Systems and independent vendors can use the Software Development Kit (SDK) to create/integrate products within the Catalyst Portal at their discretion. The core mandate of the UNX SDK is supposedly to expedite the coding effort for developers new to the Catalyst portal while allegedly affording maximum flexibility for those wishing to build complex yet efficient Catalyst Portal solutions.
UNX Network
The UNX Marketplace is a growing suite of products and services from broker-dealers, execution venues and independent vendors that have been integrated into the Catalyst Portal. The UNX Marketplace serves as a delivery mechanism to clients for broker algorithms, news, research, analytics, charting packages and other value added services. Some of the 3rd party vendor products offered through the UNX Marketplace are behavioral research and trading strategies from Titan Trading, ICAM Class Action Data and Bloomberg commands.
Tactical Order Routing Network
Tactical Order Routing (TOR) is UNX's order routing solution that purportedly provides institutional clients and broker-dealers greater control of execution strategies through the Catalyst Portal, various Order Management Systems (OMS) or directly via FIX. Institutional clients and broker-dealers have can trade under their firm's MPID, or UNX's at dark and visible venues.
Quantitative Analysis
The UNX research desk monitors statistically important events for all indexes and employs various techniques such as enhanced indexing and low volatility event strategies to capture alpha.
Partnerships
NYSE Technologies
In June 2011, NYSE Technologies and UNX entered into a partnership through which UNX becomes the first third-party provider to offer a service on the NYSE Technologies Community Platform’s cloud infrastructure. Through its Community Platform, NYSE Technologies will distribute UNX’s broker-neutral, open-technology front-end, Catalyst to deliver data and services from the NYSE Technologies’ product portfolio to financial services firms. Services offered from inside the cloud and delivered through Catalyst would include global market data, trade analytics, order and execution information tools, indications of interest (IOI), advertised trades (AT), and other data services, including trade and quote (TAQ) data, market imbalances and regulatory alerts.
INTL Trading
UNX and INTL Trading are collaborating to deliver customized electronic trading solutions for the Mexican and Latin American markets for distribution through the UNX Catalyst trading platform. As part of the partnership, INTL Trading is joining the multi-broker UNX Marketplace, where it will become a broker destination and will deploy Catalyst as its internal execution management system (EMS) as well as distribute Catalyst terminals to its institutional clients around the world. INTL will also integrate its proprietary intellectual property into Catalyst for its select client base using the Catalyst Software Development Kit (SDK).
Technology
UNX built the Catalyst Portal using the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. Based on the Windows Presentation Foundation, Catalyst uses the Managed Add-In Framework to run all functionality as loadable add-ins, and it supports scripts in languages such as Ruby and Python through the use of the Dynamic Language Runtime.
Corporate Social Responsibility
In 2011, UNX created a formal Corporate Social Engagement committee and as an inaugural project, it launched a fund raising campaign with MyCharity Water. MyCharity Water uses funds raised to secure clean water sources in developing nations.