The FT published a great special section this past Monday on the state of OTC derivatives reform. Coverage ranged from the impact of MF Global on margin and segregation rules to technology innovation driven by the new rules. What these stories all reaffirm is how much the details of the final rules will impact liquidity, product selection, the growth of electronic trading and what set of tools will ultimatey be most valuable in helping market participants come out on top.

“As volatility alone can cause rapid intra-day deterioration of major counterparty credit quality, a move
towards near-time or realtime clearing is inevitable anyway,” said Kevin
McPartland, fixed income analyst at Tabb Group, in a report last year.

…

“Some of the most contentious rule proposals are those that will impact
liquidity fragmentation the most,” says Kevin McPartland, [Principal] at Tabb Group.

The full feature is available at FT.com