Top 23 Trading Firms Making Waves in Global Financial Markets
Traders at computer workstations
Trading firms use sophisticated algorithms and investing strategies to trade various financial instruments, including stocks, commodities, and currencies. While hedge funds trade on behalf of clients, proprietary trading firms use their own capital. As market makers, these firms provide essential market liquidity by facilitating large-volume trades.
Major trading firms include:
- Virtu Financial: Market maker trading 25,000+ securities across 235+ venues
- DRW: Executes 1M+ daily trades with 2,000 employees
- Optiver: Global market maker with 2,000 staff across 11 offices
- Hudson River Trading: Quantitative firm trading in 200+ markets
- Two Sigma: Hedge fund managing $60B+ using AI and data science
- Jump Trading: Uses AI and machine learning for predictive trading
- IMC Trading: Trades 200,000+ securities in 100+ venues globally
- Jane Street: Leading ETF market maker with 2,600+ employees
Notable specialized firms:
- Susquehanna International Group (SIG): 3,000+ employees specializing in derivatives
- XR Trading: Market maker focused on derivatives and cryptocurrency
- Tower Research Capital: Automated trading across multiple asset classes
- Flow Traders: ETP specialist serving 2,000+ institutional clients
- Millennium: Hedge fund managing $67.7B with 10M+ daily trades
- Wolverine Trading: Market maker in securities and derivatives
- Belvedere Trading: Specializes in equity index and commodity derivatives
- Akuna Capital: Options market maker for indices and commodities
Emerging players:
- Chicago Trading Company: 350+ person derivatives trading firm
- 3Red Partners: Quantitative research-focused proprietary trader
- DV Trading: Multi-asset trader using proprietary software
- Quantlab: Pioneer in high-frequency algorithmic trading
- Gelber Group: Innovation-focused proprietary trading firm
- InCommodities: Energy trading and renewable investment specialist
- Geneva Trading: Proprietary commodities trading across multiple assets
These firms continue to shape financial markets through technological innovation and sophisticated trading strategies, providing essential liquidity and market efficiency.