BGC Partners issued its Q2 financials today. The report is the first full quarter figures following the completion of its  Acquisition  Acquisition Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There are many ways to acquire or to take the acquisition of property and services. How Companies Utilize AcquisitionsIn finance, the term acquisition is most often used when referring to taking control of a company. An acquisition can be either an agreed deal or a hostile takeover. Companies also may acquire units of a company, property, or other assets. An acquisition is when one business, person, or company purchases most if not of another company's shares to gain control of that company. Buying more than 50% of a target firm's stock and other assets allows the acquirer to make decisions about the newly acquired assets without the approval of the company's shareholders. In finance, there are several types of acquisitions that one speaks of when referring to Acquisitions and Mergers. A horizontal acquisition is when two companies come together with similar products/services. Conversely, a vertical acquisition means two companies join forces in the same industry, but they are at different points on the supply chain.Moreover, a conglomerate represents two companies in different industries join forces, or one takes over the other to broaden their range of services and products. Finally, a concentric acquisition occurs when companies will share customers but provide different services. Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There are many ways to acquire or to take the acquisition of property and services. How Companies Utilize AcquisitionsIn finance, the term acquisition is most often used when referring to taking control of a company. An acquisition can be either an agreed deal or a hostile takeover. Companies also may acquire units of a company, property, or other assets. An acquisition is when one business, person, or company purchases most if not of another company's shares to gain control of that company. Buying more than 50% of a target firm's stock and other assets allows the acquirer to make decisions about the newly acquired assets without the approval of the company's shareholders. In finance, there are several types of acquisitions that one speaks of when referring to Acquisitions and Mergers. A horizontal acquisition is when two companies come together with similar products/services. Conversely, a vertical acquisition means two companies join forces in the same industry, but they are at different points on the supply chain.Moreover, a conglomerate represents two companies in different industries join forces, or one takes over the other to broaden their range of services and products. Finally, a concentric acquisition occurs when companies will share customers but provide different services. Read this Term of GFI Group. For the quarter, BGC post-tax distributable earnings were $64.6 million, 48.6 above the same period last year. The profits came on top line growth of 59.1%, as revenues reached $684.6 million.

In addition to reporting financial figures, BGC also provided an update of Trayport, GFI’s electronic energy and commodities  Trading Platform  Trading Platform In the FX space, a currency trading platform is a software provided by brokers to their respective client base, garnering access as traders in the broader market. Most commonly, this reflects an online interface or mobile app, complete with tools for order processing.Every broker needs one or more trading platforms to accommodate the needs of different clients. Being the backbone of the company’s offering, a trading platform provides clients with quotes, a selection of instruments to trade, real-time updates on quotes, charts and is the main frontend which customers are facing.Brokers either use existing trading platforms and sometimes customize them, or develop their own platform from scratch. Since the beginning of the retail FX trading business MetaQuotes and its platforms MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) have been the industry standard, especially when it comes to automated trading.MT4 Shows Resiliency While MT4 has long been seen as ubiquitous amongst brokers’ offerings, a targeted push by MetaQuotes themselves has led to broader adoption of MT5 in recent years. Advanced trading platforms such as MT4 or MT5 also allow access to a wide range of asset classes available for trading.The development of trading platforms over the past decade has failed to successfully dethrone MT4 or MT5, notably in the retail market. However, in institutional markets, brokerage companies and banking entities also construct and utilize proprietary currency trading platforms to help satisfy internal needs with trades executed through institutional trading channels.By far the most important parameter for many retail clients is the optionality and pairs available on trading platforms. Additionally, demand by traders has led to a greater emphasis on newer features such as advanced charting and other tools. In the FX space, a currency trading platform is a software provided by brokers to their respective client base, garnering access as traders in the broader market. Most commonly, this reflects an online interface or mobile app, complete with tools for order processing.Every broker needs one or more trading platforms to accommodate the needs of different clients. Being the backbone of the company’s offering, a trading platform provides clients with quotes, a selection of instruments to trade, real-time updates on quotes, charts and is the main frontend which customers are facing.Brokers either use existing trading platforms and sometimes customize them, or develop their own platform from scratch. Since the beginning of the retail FX trading business MetaQuotes and its platforms MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) have been the industry standard, especially when it comes to automated trading.MT4 Shows Resiliency While MT4 has long been seen as ubiquitous amongst brokers’ offerings, a targeted push by MetaQuotes themselves has led to broader adoption of MT5 in recent years. Advanced trading platforms such as MT4 or MT5 also allow access to a wide range of asset classes available for trading.The development of trading platforms over the past decade has failed to successfully dethrone MT4 or MT5, notably in the retail market. However, in institutional markets, brokerage companies and banking entities also construct and utilize proprietary currency trading platforms to help satisfy internal needs with trades executed through institutional trading channels.By far the most important parameter for many retail clients is the optionality and pairs available on trading platforms. Additionally, demand by traders has led to a greater emphasis on newer features such as advanced charting and other tools. Read this Term. According to BGC Partners, Trayport remains in play with an expected sale of the platform by the end of 2015. In regards to the sale process, BGC stated: “Numerous serious parties are participating in the process at a valuation that reflects Trayport’s continuing growth in the year following last year’s proposed transaction, as well as its high margins, leading technology, and strategic importance in the global energy and commodities markets.”

The news follows initial reports from company sources back in March, that BGC was exploring the sale of Trayport. The CME Group remains closely linked as a buyer for Trayport, having tried to acquire GFI Group itself. Nonetheless, based on rhetoric from the company and other sources, BGC appears ready to take its time, in order to let the best offer materialize.

Officially not included as a planned sale is GFI’s FX options trading platform, FENICS, which has also been reported to be up for sale. After initially being linked to be targeted by the CME Group, BGC Partners made it official today that FENICS is not going anywhere soon. As part of its consolidation of GFI within BGC, it was announced today that all electronic trading platforms of the combined firms will be operated within the FENICS brand name.