NIBA Journal

Insights, analysis, and updates from the National Introducing Brokers Association

April 20, 2015

It's Not Too Late to Register for April 30!

Registration for the April 30 event at the New York Athletic Club will close on April 28. Please register now for an afternoon of education and networking in New York City. The afternoon's first panel will focus on the trends and influences affecting the metals and energies markets. Panel number two is an interactive discussion regarding the state of cyber-security in the futures industry. A networking cocktail reception immediately follows the business sessions. This event is free for all industry professionals, but because space is limited, registration is required. Thank you to our New York City Meeting Sponsors: CME Group, NADEX and Michael Coglianese, CPA, PC. Questions? Please contact event chairmen Rich Strait, rich@straitllc.com or Howard Rennell, hrennell@e-windom.com.

Save-the-Date: June 18, DePaul University

We are delighted to announce our second annual member meeting co-sponsored with DePaul University, Chicago. This year's event will take place the afternoon of June 18 at the DePaul downtown campus (corner of Jackson Blvd. and State Street). In 2014, NIBA and DePaul University committed to a partnership with the goal of providing our membership with education and insight about the financial business from the academic point of view. Over 100 NIBA members attended last year's meeting. On June 18, industry and academic experts will present a two-session program focused on managed futures and cyber-security. Registration and the agenda will post on our website, theniba.com, the week of May 4. This meeting is complimentary for all industry professionals. Event chairmen are Dr. Carl Luft, DePaul University, cluft@depaul.edu and NIBA members Steve Petillo, petillo@coquest.com and Jerry Nolan, jnolan@countycorkllc.com.

NIBA FCM Risk Management Series

The NIBA is proud to introduce a new article series focused on FCM Risk management. This new featured series will appear monthly in the NIBA newsletter and will feature a different member FCM each month discussing their approach to risk management. Risk management affects every part of our industry from trading to regulatory considerations to cyber security and much more. The NIBA listens to what you have to say and in an effort to continue to keep our members well informed and to promote a productive dialogue within the industry we are excited to premier this series beginning in our May newsletter. The articles will feature a Q & A with each member FCM discussing various aspects of risk management. Our member FCMs will discuss topics such as how their risk committees function, what the firm’s approach to cyber security is, what credit review processes are like, and plenty of...

Housekeeping, Reminders, and Updates

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Redesigned FINRA Website In March, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) announced the launch of its newly redesigned website. Two key factors were the driving force behind the updates to the website: improve the user-experience of BrokerCheck and creating a more mobile-friendly interface to address the increase traffic to the website from mobile devices. The launch of the website was announced in a March 16th press release. The press release included a quote from FINRA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard Ketchum in which he states that the new website “demonstrates our commitment to providing a more engaging experience for users to more easily find the tools and resources they need such as BrokerCheck, investor education and important information about registration and qualification exams. It features a simpler navigation and an intuitive design with the goal of making our website a best-in-class, primary destination for all...

Decoding the Myths of Managed Futures 2015

This paper examines seven very popular myths and misconceptions held by both retail and institutional investors regarding managed futures. This paper updates the original version written in 2011. These myths have persisted for several years. As investors are becoming more aware of the potential use of managed futures for asset allocation and portfolio diversification, knowing if the myths are true or false, is critical for an investor’s understanding and appreciation of managed futures. READ MORE

By NIBARead article

April 20, 2015

2 min read

NIBA Get to Know the Regulator--CFTC

The NIBA has been working with the CFTC for over a year to gain approval from the regulatory body to participate in our newsletter series, “Get to Know the Regulators.” The CFTC has agreed to be a part of our article series and we will be featuring an article on the first division of the agency in the coming months. This article series will be a Q&A with the CFTC with a focus on how the CFTC functions, who is in charge of various areas of the agency and who a broker would need to contact in the event they have dealings or questions for the agency. NIBA recognizes that most of our members are very familiar with the NFA but may not have an in depth knowledge of how the CFTC operates. We have put this article series together in an effort to continue to bring relevant and informative...

5 Tips to be an All-Star Email Marketer

In 2013, we posted a blog post titled, 5 Tips for Driving Conversions in B2B Email Marketing. To our delight, this post generated a lot of interest amongst our readers. As such, we’ve decided to revisit the email marketing topic and provide more tips for boosting success. Here goes! Tip #1: Initiate a Conversation In typical face-to-face interactions, there is a back and forth of dialogue and exchange of ideas. This same concept should hold true in your email marketing. But many marketers are delivering a one-way monologue, whereby they hit their contacts with general marketing messages at periodic points dictated by an editorial calendar. This approach does nothing for engaging your target audience. Use your email program to build  rapport with your audience by fostering discussions that can help build a solid relationship with key clients and prospects. You can do this by posing a thought-provoking question in your...

By NIBARead article

April 17, 2015

3 min read

NIBA Member of the Month: Farmer's Marketing Service

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The NIBA in NYC

On April 30, 2015, the NIBA will hold our spring membership meeting at the New York Athletic Club, NYC beginning at 1:30 pm. Two business sessions and a networking cocktail reception are included. Our first session is an update of the metals and energies markets. The panel includes Dr. Mo Ahmadzaden, Managing Partner at Southold Capital, LLC which provides risk management advisory services to the metals industry. Pete Keavey, CME Group will overview the energy market at the exchange, including discussing new products. Dan Cook, NADEX will look at these two market sectors from the perspective of NADEX. During the second session, we will discuss cybersecurity risks -- what risk management rules and technology are in place now, and what to expect during the coming year. Mark Ruddy, Ruddy Law Office, PLLC of Washington, DC will moderate a panel including representatives from Compliance Supervisors and Turnkey Trading Partners. You don’t...

Chairman's Letter

Dear Members: Cybersecurity: The process of applying security measures to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and the availability of data. Cybersecurity attempts to assure the protection of assets, which includes data, desktops, servers, buildings, and most importantly, humans. The goal of cybersecurity is to protect the data both in transit and at rest - Wikipedia Cybersecurity issues are prime topics at both FIA and MFA conferences this spring. FINRA is conducting an assessment of its member firm’s approaches to managing cybersecurity threats as they pertain to information technology. The CFTC has stated in their 2015 budget proposal, they do not have adequate resources to monitor the infrastructure of FCMs and other registrants, including exchanges, in order to review the adequacy of those cybersecurity operations. A discussion of where we are now, and what is expected in 2015, is the focus of the second session during our April 30 meeting in New York...

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