The linkage is now live and provides Reuters Order Routing for Equities users with a direct FIX connection for the sell side and broker-sponsored access for the buy side to ArcaEx's electronic exchange platform.

The Reuters Order Routing network offers users a trading solution that quickly and seamlessly links Reuters growing global community of around 500 institutions and 200 broker-dealers, with multiple execution venues via an open and neutral order routing hub.

Leigh Henson, Director of Institutional Equities at Reuters, comments: "We're very pleased to have joined forces with ArcaEx as the relationship plays to both parties' strengths. By combining ArcaEx's execution capabilities with Reuters global equities trading community, this relationship grows our global trading platform and enables easy access to execution on the Archipelago platform."

According to ArcaEx Managing Director Jenny Drake, "We are excited to partner with Reuters and look forward to providing the trading community with access to an electronic exchange platform that is both open and transparent. The connection to the Reuters Order Routing network provides another way for traders to reach ArcaEx for order routing and direct market access utilising the FIX protocol."

Both buy side institutions and broker-dealers can access a wide range of institutional and equities program trading desks worldwide via Reuters order routing capabilities, including advanced trading functionality from execution venues and algorithmic trading tools from the world's top brokers.

Seperately, Reuters has released a major upgrade to its flagship product - Reuters 3000 Xtra (version 5.0).

The key enhancements are as follows:

• Simple, browser-based search to make it easier for customers to find what they need from Reuters broad range of content
  
• MetaStock Premium graphics, which make sophisticated charting capabilities simple to use. New Quick Charts provide predefined, server driven, browser delivered and task-specific charts, simplifying previously complicated charting
  
• New Fundamental and Reference data giving easy access to mutual funds from Lipper, institutional and stakeholder data from Factset, future events from Kalends and M&A content
  
• Improvements to overall usability and customisation for better management of screen space e.g. ability to retrieve Templates from a drop down menu bar or put multiple objects into one frame on the screen.
  
• Key improvements to the Reuters 3000 Xtra package to simplify and streamline the install, deployment and maintenance process.

Frederic Messein, Head of Sales & Trading Products in Europe, said, "Reuters 3000 Xtra 5.0 was designed with customer input to help them move around the product quickly and efficiently, and to encourage them to explore the full range of data and analytics we offer. With deeper content, first-class graphics and a much more intuitive user interface, we believe that 3000 Xtra 5.0 will give users new insights and be a huge asset to them."

Reuters 3000 Xtra is Reuters premium information product package. It offers the full breadth and depth of domestic and international cross-asset information, as well as sophisticated analytics and functionality for financial market professionals.