THE Australian Securities Exchange was working last night to repair the damage to its reputation after its recently installed trading system, run by the US exchange operator Nasdaq OMX, suffered its second setback in less than a year, causing a four-hour shutdown yesterday.
The system error, detected about five minutes after trading started in the morning, prevented brokers and other market participants from interacting with the ASX's trading platform. The exchange said the market would reopen normally today, but it was still investigating what triggered the glitch.
Trading resumed at 2pm, kicking off with a surge prompted by the European debt deal that saw the ASX200 close up 105 points, or 2.5 per cent, at 4348.
Yesterday's embarrassing events follow a 90 minute shutdown in February. The new trading platform was switched on last November.
They also cast a cloud on the arrival of Elmer Funke Kupper as the new chief executive of ASX, who from Monday will face competition from its new trading rival, Chi-X, which will offer discounted trading of ASX-listed stocks.
It will be the first time the ASX has faced competition from another exchange - with several brokers, including Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, having already said they will trade on Chi-X.
"We will work with our technology provider to resolve the issue," an ASX spokesman said. "That will be ongoing to prevent a recurrence." Nasdaq OMX declined to comment.
ASX insisted the "system error" was not related to Chi-X's imminent arrival, nor would it affect ASX's ability to clear and settle trades that took place on Chi-X.
But it highlighted the issue of "having a single monopoly exchange operator", said Gavin Parry, managing director of Parry International Trading, who said the shutdown was "a highly embarrassing situation".
Mr Funke Kupper told the market the ASX had not met "the high standards that we set for ourselves and that our customers expect".
"ASX has a strong reputation for the quality and reliability of its systems, and this incident gave me a first-hand experience of the way our technical team resolves significant issues," he said.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission was keeping in "close contact" with the ASX over the closure, a spokesman said.
"Our interest in these issues is always about ensuring market integrity is maintained so that investors can trade with confidence," the spokesman said. "While outages like this are unfortunate they do occur on rare occasions."
Some investors said Australia's reputation as a market operator would take a hit.
The outage also coincided with the final settlement day for October series exchange-traded options, leaving options traders furious. "The market opened pretty much even, then it crashed, then it opened at 2 per cent," said option trader David Waterhouse. "Lots of traders would have lost money with that 2 per cent margin." Others were more circumspect. "It's very, very unfortunate, and who knows what consequences there might be, but you have to take a sanguine view on it," said Richard Morrow, at EL&C Baillieu.
Inside
The closure was nothing short of a shemozzle
Elizabeth Knight, Page 8
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
What caused the ASX trading glitch that shut the market down?
The ASX experienced a system error in its recently installed trading platform that stopped brokers and participants from interacting with the exchange. The fault was detected about five minutes after trading opened and triggered a four-hour shutdown while ASX and its technology provider investigated.
Who runs the ASX's new trading system and did they comment on the outage?
The new trading platform is run by US exchange operator Nasdaq OMX. Nasdaq OMX declined to comment, and ASX said it is working with its technology provider to resolve the issue and prevent a recurrence.
Did the outage affect clearing and settlement of trades, including trades executed on Chi‑X?
ASX insisted the 'system error' was not related to Chi‑X's arrival and would not affect ASX's ability to clear and settle trades that took place on Chi‑X. ASX said clearing and settlement capability was not impacted by the outage.
How did the market react once ASX trading resumed?
Trading resumed at 2pm and the market surged, helped by news of a European debt deal. The ASX200 closed up 105 points, or 2.5 percent, at 4,348 on the day trading resumed.
What was the impact of the outage on options traders and settlement days?
The outage coincided with the final settlement day for October exchange‑traded options, leaving options traders upset. Some traders said sudden reopening moves of about 2 percent could have cost them money because of margin and expiry timing.
Does the ASX outage change the competitive landscape with the new rival Chi‑X?
The outage highlighted concerns about having a single monopoly exchange operator, according to market participants. Chi‑X is about to offer discounted trading of ASX‑listed stocks, and several brokers including Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley have already said they will trade on Chi‑X, marking the first direct competition for ASX.
What are regulators doing about the ASX shutdown and should everyday investors be worried about market integrity?
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said it was in close contact with ASX. ASIC's focus is ensuring market integrity so investors can trade with confidence. Officials noted outages are rare but do occur, and they monitor such incidents closely.
What steps is ASX taking to repair its reputation and prevent future outages?
ASX said it will work with its technology provider to resolve the issue and prevent a recurrence. Incoming CEO Elmer Funke Kupper acknowledged the exchange had not met its own high standards and said the incident provided a first‑hand look at how the technical team handles significant issues.
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