Monex Group Releases Metrics For September 2013 - Decrease in Global FX Volume

Japanese FX company Monex Group announced the monthly business metrics of the firm itself, and all of its subsidies for September 2013.

Despite the overall upward direction industry-wide this year, Monex had experienced a slowing down in FX trading volumes, particularly during July and August, which is beginning to show some signs of recovery in terms of average daily volumes (ADV) with Septembers figures.

Overall, the entire global trading volume for the company was $47.4 billion for September, compared to the previous month's $50.8 billion, representing a decline compared to the previous few months, with a high point in April of $79.9 billion showing that last year's imposition of Leverage restrictions by the Japanese regulatory authorities had not hindered trading activity in the early stages of 2013.

During last month, the total ADV was JPY 133,319 million, which represents an increase from the previous month's JPY 113,247 million, but is still a degree short of the considerably higher volumes achieved during the second quarter of 2013.

Monex Follows The Mainstream

Just over a month ago, Forex Magnates reported that Monex Group added MetaTrader 4 to its offering, a relatively uncommon practice among Japanese FX firms, despite being very much part of the mainstream offering within other international markets. The prevalence of the platform among a Japanese audience was discussed at this year's Forex Magnates Tokyo Summit, with reservations among senior industry figures being voiced including lack of Japanese language guides, regulatory issues and marketing of electronic advisers.

A bold move, in such circumstances, which although somewhat controversial for the home market, could increase the appeal of the firm to a prospective international client base. The company has shown its interest in platform diversity this year, with tradable joining the fold in May.

Subsequent to this, the company released its interim dividend figures for the 2014 fiscal year, representing a ten-fold increase over 2012, which had been a difficult year for most industry participants.

Finally, TradeStation, the company's North American subsidiary, recorded that it had custody of a greater number of client assets in September compared with August, responsible for $3,365 million, compared to $3308 million for the previous month.