Algorithmic Traders Looking To Twitter For An Edge

Traders who are clients of StreamBase are using software developed by the company to scan Twitter for information that can be utilized by their algorithm-based automated trading platforms (see Telegraph article). While the company is not specific about who is using the software to follow Twitter feeds, current clients of the company include the Royal Bank of Canada and hedge fund BlueCrest Capital Management. Those using the software to monitor the Twitter feeds hope their automated trading platforms can utilize breaking news that has not yet been filtered by providers such as Reuters Thomson or Bloomberg. One trader mentioned how using a broadcast tool such as Twitter would allow them to further take advantage of the ability to "buy on the rumour and sell on the facts." Given the volume and variety of the content you find on Twitter, or for the matter, any message board or social networking site, the term "rumor" is probably a little generous in many cases. For their sake, let us hope that those firms following any social networking site have a good AI system for separating the wheat from the chaff. This tasks is hard enough when all you are following are those slow "filtered" news sites.