Following the addition of fixed income instruments to the venue in December 2010, Omega ATS has become the only widely available lit ATS in Canada for real-time bond price listings.

At present, investors rely on their brokers, and brokers rely on their trading desks, to obtain price quotes for trading fixed income instruments. By making this data available to the public, Omega brings efficiency to a traditionally opaque marketplace and provides anyone trading the bond market with free, instant access to quotes via the internet. The quotes currently reflect the 24 fixed income instruments traded on the venue and as additional bonds are added, they will be incorporated into the live feed.

"We are committed to bringing transparency to the fixed income market and the provision of real-time pricing data is an important step in achieving this," states Mike Bignell, President and CCO, Omega ATS. "Currently, it is difficult to source quotes for fixed income instruments, but our website enables investors of all sizes to have free and equal access to bond quotes in an efficient manner which will help strip away some of the additional costs that can be accrued when relying solely on data from brokers. Offering bonds on our venue has given our subscribers a huge advantage. Now that we have extended our efforts in this arena by offering pricing data, the entire Canadian trading community will benefit."

Bignell adds, "Omega will continue to grow the number of fixed income instruments available on our venue according to market conditions and subscriber demand. Crucially, the days of fixed income trading being an opaque, upstairs market are numbered, a cause we are delighted to be championing given the clear benefits this brings to the marketplace."
There are currently 24 fixed income instruments available for trading on Omega ATS. These include Government of Canada Debt Securities and industry stalwarts such as Rogers Communications Inc, Telus Corporation, Ontario Hydro and Cameco Corporation.