Big Data Gets Up Close and Personal

If you ever wondered about the value of big data, just read this Wired article on what the data wizards over at Facebook are doing. They have identified the listening habits of members who have just started new relationships and those who have just ended relationships, so they can identify those likely to start or end relationships before they know. Sure, merchants would love this data for its targeted marketing value alone, but it also could be exploited easily for other financial uses. Imagine if you could incorporate this into algorithms that predict the performance of traders, athletes or anyone else. The opportunities are almost limitless.









 

Exchanges are Large Enough

It is curious how the financial markets can mirror nature. Nature has a way of capping the growth of a species so that it does not outstrip the available resources in its ecosystem.

After the European Union officials decided not to approve the proposed Deutsche Börse-NYSE Euronext merger last week, NYSE Euronext CEO Duncan Niederauer went on the record stating the era of exchange mega-mergers was at an end.  It appears that the global market has decided that the largest global exchange operators are large enough.

Thumbs Up to Fiennes

Ralph Finnes has done an excellent job directing and starring in his movie adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. Similar to Richard Loncraine's movie production of Richard III, Finnes sets the story in modern times. Many scenes open with CNN-like updates of the war between Rome and its southern neighbor, Volsci. The Roman forces are dressed and armed like typical NATO forces while the Volscians look more like Balkan partisans.

CFTC Won't Make SEF Deadline

No, it's not a reported fact, but just a humble opinion in this week's Friday Musing that the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is overoptimistic in its belief that it will have all of the necessary Dodd-Frank rule making completed by the middle of this quarter.

Disagree? Let me know your thoughts on the matter.

Fun with Quantum Levitation

Okay Japan Institute of Science and Technology, I want one.