Robert Karofsky Lends Insight to Trading Panel

PHILADELPHIA, PA, April 22, 2013

Robert Karofksy, long-time banking professional and trade expert, poses the following question: Who wins--and who loses--in the new global trading paradigm? This question served as the focal point of a recent panel discussion, featuring some of the biggest names from the financial industry--including Karofsky himself. Also present for the panel discussion were Curt Engler, of JP Morgan Asset Management; Jose Marques, of Deutsche Bank; and Miranda Mizen, of the TABB Group. Karofsky himself has amassed ample experience in banking and in trading, both at Deutsche Bank and, more recently, at Alliance Bernstein.

Marques, who kicked off the panel discussion, opined that today's markets are as challenging as they have ever been--not just for those seeking to execute trades, but even for those seeking to navigate the "liquidity landscape." Engler, for his part, noted that the role of the asset manager, in today's markets, is to optimize the trading process, and to better assist clients in understanding volume and volatility.

Karofsky contributed some key insights to the conversation as well, beginning with a comment about how close the trader has gotten "to the investment decision-making process in a world where liquidity has become a scarce resource." The ability of a trader to react quickly is contingent, Karofsky continues, on his or her knowledge of the way in which a portfolio manager is going "to zig [or] to zag."

Ultimately, it was Karofsky who expressed the true nature of the new trading paradigm. "We are in a new paradigm and I don't think that it is necessarily cyclical," Karofsky noted. "Certainly, it is unlikely that we will revert back to the 9bn shares a day that we used to trade in the United States." He notes that today's economic realities stem from the financial crises of recent years--a prism through which all new economic experience must be seen.

A final panel observation form Karofsky pertains to the absence of retail in equity trading; over the past several years, retail has not been in the picture, which Karofsky says has "exacerbated the situation."

The panel discussion includes numerous rewarding exchanges concerning the nature of liquidity in today's markets, and the way in which trading today differs from trading even a few years ago.

Robert Karofksy is a veteran of the financial services industry, and he has served as an analyst and as a trading professional for some of the most reputable banking organizations in the world; Karofsky is pleased to share his experience and expertise in panel discussions whenever he is able.

ABOUT:

Robert Karofsky is a veteran of the financial services industry, and has served as an analyst and trader for a number of high-profile banking organizations. In addition to his banking work, he also seeks to provide financial advice and literacy, opining on such matters as portfolio management and retirement planning. Karofsky is also an active philanthropist, and advocates on behalf of St. Jude's, Sloan-Kettering, Ronald McDonald House, and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Memorial.

Website: http://robertkarofsky.net