Episodes

Amy Magnotta brings her expert take on the state of equity markets to the pod as we approach 2024. The Co-Chief Investment Officer at Ategenos Capital sheds light on everything from the fed's stance on interest rates, alpha drivers and the promising outlook for Japan, and potential tailwinds from the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As 2024 looms as a “spicy” election year, Amy shares her strategies for navigating these politically choppy waters. Recorded December 5, 2023.

Ronan and JR are joined this week by Michael Seigne, a finance industry veteran with extensive experience in equity execution, and the founder of Candor Partners Limited. Listen as Michael breaks down the intricacies of corporate share buybacks and how these hotly debated practices influence shareholder value and corporate governance for public companies. Recorded November 16, 2023.

While you were still sleeping, the stock market was busy getting ready for the day. Ramon “Ray” Gonzalez, Head of Technology Operations for IEX Exchange, joins Ronan and JR to walk us through the checklist his team goes through every day – starting at 4 am – to get the market ready for smooth sailing. Plus, they delve into “bare metal” infrastructure, data centers, and the potential for exchanges to move into the cloud. Recorded January 31, 2022.

Jim Toes, President and CEO of the Securities Traders Association and a leading voice in market structure, joins Ronan and JR on the pod this week. Jim gives the guys a sneak peek of what's on the docket for STA’s 90th Annual Market Structure Conference, and also discusses the rise of stablecoins and Bitcoin ETFs, his thoughts on the SEC's proposed market structure reforms, the implications of a 24-hour trading day, and the greatest moment in the Big Short. Recorded October 3, 2023.

Anna Kurzrok, managing director of market structure at Jefferies, joins Ronan and JR to dive into the nuts and bolts of U.S. equities market structure. They chat about what the SEC's market structure proposals will mean for the big institutional players and everyday traders, the trajectory of AI in trading, the fragmentation of trading venues, and what's going on with off-exchange trading. Recorded August 29, 2023.

Barry Ritholtz, CIO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and host of the popular Bloomberg podcast “Masters In Business,” joins JR and Ronan to discuss lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis, misconceptions about inflation, and how the best way to gain experience is through not getting what you want. Tune in for a deep dive into the financial markets with Barry, who reveals how his background in behavioral finance and his fearless approach when launching his blog, the “Big Picture,” earned him...

JR and Ronan are joined by Giancarlo, Annabelle, and Dennis - three of IEX’s 2023 summer interns - for this special episode about the aspirations of America’s upcoming workforce. Though Gen Z had to navigate remote schooling during Covid, grappling with global warming, and witnessing seemingly constant political and economic shifts, this episode reveals that what’s on their mind might resonate more closely with previous generations than one might think. Recorded August 8th, 2023.

What needs to change about the finance industry in order to close the gender gap? What will the next generation of Wall Street leaders look like? How will Gen Zers shape workplace culture - and the finance industry? On the latest episode of Boxes and Lines, Ronan and JR are joined by Katherine Jollon Colsher, President and CEO of Girls Who Invest, to discuss the longstanding gender gap within the finance industry and how Girls Who Invest is providing young women access to resources and education...

It’s the debut of “Dear Boxes and Lines,” our listener mailbag series in which Ronan and JR are answering listeners’ most pressing questions. What would JR and Ronan change about market structure if they could wave their magic wands? What’s the hardest thing about operating a stock exchange? Who are their dream guests? (Elvis, we’ll figure out how to get your invite sent to the Great Graceland in the Sky). Hit play and get to know Ronan and JR outside the boxes and lines. Recorded July 12, 2023.

Duncan Higgins, founder of Sustainable Trading, joins Ronan and JR to discuss what it means to “trade sustainably.” They also touch on the environmental impact of data centers, the creation and implementation of best practices for firms (should employees be powering computers with stationary bikes?), and the global effects of changes in ESG legislation. Recorded June 21, 2023.

We’re dipping into our archives for this episode of Boxes and Lines and revisiting our episode with Eric “Batch” Budish (nickname bestowed by us), the Paul G. McDermott Professor of Economics and Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, whose groundbreaking paper, “The High Frequency Trading Arms Race: Frequent Batch Auctions as a Market Design Response” has helped shape exchange design proposals in stock markets and futures markets. Featuring an updated intro from...

Ronan and JR are joined by Eric Stockland and Joe Wald of BMO Capital Markets on our latest episode to discuss the recent proposed market reforms by the SEC. Listen as they navigate the intricate web of regulations and the potential impact these reforms could have on the stock market, investors and the future of financial markets. Recorded April 5, 2023.

On the newest episode of Boxes and Lines, Ronan and JR chat with Dana Petitto, Managing Director of Brookfield Real Estate Group and CFO of Brookfield REIT. Dana discusses how she was able to strategically envision and implement growth in a functional way as her company’s portfolio has grown significantly during her 18-year tenure. The gang also talks about growing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and how to navigate working from home while fostering an in-office culture. Dana describes her vari...

Allow us to introduce Dispatch, a digital commerce platform powered by Web3, and one of IEX’s portfolio of businesses. In this live interview at the Dispatch Studio pop-up (which took place during this year’s #NFTNYC), Ronan and JR talk to Byron Sorrells, CEO and Co-Founder of Dispatch, and Eugene Hu, Head of Global Partnerships at Ledger, about the fascinating intersection between blockchain “magic” and ecommerce, the current state of Web3 (and what it is, anyway), and the real-world uses cases...

Ronan and JR are joined by Armando Diaz, CEO of institutional trading platform PureStream. Seeing a need for platforms that could better scale and be more efficient, Armando built PureStream from the bottom up with the hopes of making a difference in the industry. The group discusses what exactly goes into launching a venue, the biggest pain points in the world of institutional trading today - plus what's most exciting about it. Recorded on March 9, 2023.

Getting regular manicures is expensive and time consuming, inspiring Rachel Apfel Glass to found a subscription-based, waterless nail service in 2018 in New York City. Since then, ex-hedge funder Glass has grown her business to include various cities throughout the country. Listen as guest host and IEXer Jayme Abrahamsen returns to interview Rachel, discussing the genesis of her idea, what it’s been like as an entrepreneur and CEO in the space, and where Glosslab is headed in the future. Recorde...

Aaron Brown, Bloomberg columnist and former managing director and head of financial market research at AQR Capital Management joins Ronan and JR on this episode of Boxes + Lines to chat about the intersection of poker and finance. Aaron deals some great insights into the mind of a professional gambler and the kind of thinking that makes not just a successful poker player, but a successful trader as well. He shares tales from the secretive world of pro poker in the 80’s and bets on the future of ...

Steve Kaminsky of Jump Crypto joins Ronan and JR on this episode of Boxes + Lines to break down The Pyth Network, an oracle that acts as a bridge between on-chain and off-chain applications to provide crypto values and other market data. The group discusses the value of using Pyth and the benefits that come along with contributing data to the network. We also hear about the latest crypto trends to keep an eye on. Recorded January 19, 2023.

On the latest episode of Boxes + Lines, Ronan and JR welcome back Joe Saluzzi of Themis Trading. The group shares secrets to longevity that all founders can benefit from (staying relevant, for one!), as well as how to distill information for clients. They also discuss what goes into protecting client privacy, what changing tick sizes would mean for traders, and what would need to happen for institutional investors to get into crypto. Recorded October 05, 2022.

IEX's Jayme Abrahamsen and former Greenlight Capital partner and CEO and founder of Freedom's Edge Cider Andy Kaplan return to the podcast this week for a continuation of their conversation about our cultural fascination with Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. This episode looks specifically at Burr, a one-time rising political star and U.S. vice president who by the end of his life was exiled to Paris and eating from garbage cans. Our guest hosts look at the blurring of Burr’s legacy over time,...

Last week the SEC unveiled the biggest proposed market reforms to U.S. market structure since Reg NMS was instituted in 2005, so Ronan and JR are unboxing each regulatory proposal just in time for the holidays. Rule 605, tick size, access fees, price transparency, retail auctions, best execution... with these proposals in the mix, it's going to be an exciting 2023. Recorded December 15, 2022.

On this episode of Boxes and Lines, Ronan and JR speak with IEXer Eric Quinlan, better known as Stack. Stack has been with IEX for nearly a decade and is currently the Senior Software Development Engineer in Test. They reminisce on how an impromptu coffee meeting turned into Stack’s unofficial-official job interview for IEX. They discuss developing and writing software to build testing tools for quality assurance and the human factors that need to be considered when creating software. We learn a...

It’s a new episode featuring guests from across the pond and bad impressions of their accents, guvnah! Ronan and JR sit down with Paul Humphrey and Dr. Elliot Banks of the UK-based historical data firm BMLL to find out what historical data really is, and how it helps us understand the behavior of markets in game-changing new ways. They also discuss BMLL’s unique access to insights, and the academic need for better financial data to help educate the next generation of quant talent. Recorded Novem...

On this episode of Boxes and Lines, Ronan and JR chat with Daniel Aisen and Allison Bishop, founders of Proof Trading, a new institutional equities execution platform launched in 2021. They are also former IEXers! They talk about algorithmic trading, hot topics in market structure, and Proof’s unique approach to radical transparency. Recorded September 20, 2022.