In the news (and the pseudo-news)

By: Ray Pellecchia

File Under: NYSE

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A couple of items, one from this blog's employer, the other from the blogosphere:

Archipelago Services Available as Part of SFTI Core Service -- Looks like the SFTI network (you can sound like an insider if you pronounce it: "safety") continues to advance. Excerpt from news release:

The Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC®), today announced that access to NYSE Arca exchange has been added to the Secure Financial Transaction Infrastructure® (SFTI®) core offering. Clients that use SFTI® to connect to New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, National Market Systems (CT/CQS), OPRA and Shared Data Center (SDCAN) services, can now also access NYSE Arca.

. . . Previously, only New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, clearing corporation and market data services hosted at SIAC were available as part of the core offering from SFTI®. Access to other exchanges, market centers (MC), electronic communications networks (ECNs), alternative trading systems (ATSs) and content service providers (CSP) was available only through SFTI B2BSM, sold by SIAC’s subsidiary Sector, Inc.

"We are pleased to offer our SFTI® clients connectivity to NYSE Arca applications," said Marianne Brown, CEO of SIAC. "The NYSE Group and its clients will be able to consolidate their communications on to SFTI®, which possesses a secure and resilient network. We firmly believe that the value proposition SFTI® offers has made it the platform of choice to support order flow and market data traffic for all Exchanges, market centers, electronic communications networks, alternative trading systems and content service providers."

On March 7, 2006, the merger of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Archipelago Holdings, Inc., was completed creating NYSE Group, Inc. This initiative provides new connectivity options to clients of NYSE Arca by allowing access to the following NYSE Arca order entry and data products over SFTI®:FIX (order entry); Arca Direct (order entry); ArcaBook (Equities); ArcaBook (Options); Market Maker Quoting.

SFTI®, created in the wake of 9-11, is nationally recognized for its resiliency and redundancy. Based on proven state-of-the-art technology, SFTI® provides clients with a communications platform of unparalleled diversity and reliability that will carry their order flow and other critical data communications through a closed, high bandwidth, optical and highly available network. Firms can choose to access SFTI® via nine Access Centers, located in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Separate item: the Dealbreaker blog has a recurring "planespotting" feature that tries to divine future M&A activity by scouting the whereabouts of corporate jets. Here's today's post on the subject:

Planespotting: NYSE Tours With Dixie Chicks, Kenny Chesney and Friends

Between June 17 and 19, the NYSE’s Gulfstream IV flew from Brunswick, GA to Memphis, TN, to Austin, TX. For what, pray tell? We really have no idea but how about this: 'SE's annual summer concert series, which kicked off this month? If that's the case, then we'll continue this random* speculation by saying that NYSE President and COO, Catherine R. Kinney, is (probably) Garth Brooks’s “biggest fan,” while CEO John A. Thain has to have mentioned that he “just loves that Shania Twain, 'cause it rhymes with Thain" on the trading floor, at least once or twice. In exchange for backstage passes to his show, we're betting that Kenny Chesney will be ringing the bell, sometime in late July, early August, max.

*but entirely plausible

As the saying goes, "interesting, if true."

No knock against country music (hey, we list Gaylord Entertainment, parent of the Grand Ol' Opry), but better hold off on that Kenny Chesney booking. Hate to have to break it to Dealbreaker, but, well, we don't have a Gulfstream. Not even a Piper Cub. I know; I ran downstairs and checked the corporate hangar. Which we don't have.