Quant Traders That Dominate US Options Market Move In on Europe

The option market makers that dominate US trading are taking a bigger share of volume in Europe.

While the tariff-driven market turmoil in April boosted trading on both sides of the Atlantic, Europe remains far behind. Even with talks about the end of “US Exceptionalism” and investment flows directed away from the country, Europe lacks the abundant retail demand that drives a robust, relatively transparent options market in the US.

But despite the differences, in both places market makers are pushing in to service customers directly. More nimble, with more sophisticated quant models than traditional banks and comfortable hedging across ...