The firm says that Eikon is as simple to use as the Internet, helping users easily obtain market information, news, analytics and trading tools easy. Customers will access information using semantic tagging technology, removing the need to remember instrument codes or use complex interfaces.

The system and upgrades are downloaded and installed from the Web, making it cheap and easy to keep apace with changing markets and customer needs, says Thomson Reuters.

Twitter-style social networking technology is designed to let users create communities, publish views and ideas and share real-time rich content and analysis.



In addition, the company is billing Eikon as truly mobile, available on multiple computer platforms, Blackberry and iPhone devices with a single sign-on to access information anywhere, at anytime.

Eikon is the third "component" in Thomson Reuters' bid to revamp its product range following its creation in 2007 as it looks to fight off competition from Bloomberg and other, new, free online sources of market information.

Already this year it has launched a global high-speed data distribution network and hosting environment called Elektron and Reuters Insider, an online video platform, dubbed a YouTube for the financial services community.

Devin Wenig, CEO, Thomson Reuters Markets, says: "Today's generation of financial professionals demand tools that are intuitive, rich in data and analytics, and highly connected, to give them an edge. Eikon is a fundamental shift for our company and our industry. It will constantly adapt to help customers thrive in this new era. The launch signifies another key milestone in our strategy to build an open and connected global financial community."