1. How has client activity changed over the past couple of months as the COVID-19 situation worsens?
Clients have become more active on all our trading platforms as the COVID-19 outbreak worsens and more and more countries implement lockdown measures to prevent the spread.
The financial markets have been very volatile for the last three months, which has created lots more trading opportunities for short-term traders. Many of our clients have taken advantage of the large price swings in major financial markets including FX, indices, commodities and more.
Whilst client activity increases, we are conscious that the whole world is in crisis, given the COVID-19 situation. We are and intend to continue to support our clients, colleagues and their respective communities.
- What assets are clients flocking to the most?
We’ve witnessed increased activity across most of our product selection including FX, commodities, stock and index CFDs and futures. We’re yet to carry out an in-depth analysis about which individual assets have increased in activity the most. Our current focus is on our staff’s wellbeing and delivering the best possible services to our clients.
- Has the pandemic been a boost to your operations?
We have seen a boost in our operations but we are attributing it to our loyal clients rather than the COVID-19 pandemic. The current market conditions are very volatile and this always entices traders to the market, no matter the reason behind the volatility.
- Do you have measures in place to deal with the higher levels of volatility?
Yes, we do. First and foremost we’re in constant communication with our clients about expected volatility. Our staff in countries with lockdown measures are all equipped with the necessary infrastructure to work from home.
This means that there are zero compromises when it comes to the high quality of service provided to our clients. ATFX provides online services that our clients can access from any suitable location. Such measures are part of our robust business continuity plan.
- On a yearly comparison, has the beginning of 2020 been vastly different to the beginning of 2019 in terms of trading volumes?
Yes, we have recorded double the trading volumes we had last year across all the regions we operate globally. The year began with volatility in the Asian markets as COVID-19 hit those areas and forced them into lockdown measures. The situation worsened after January as more countries began to lockdown their citizens in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. ATFX is still implementing its business continuity plan on a global scale during this challenging period to ensure we continue to provide high-quality services.
It’s clear the spread of COVID-19 has increased market volatility and activity during this period. However, this is not the sole reason for our increased trading volumes. Since the beginning of 2019, we’ve launched several new products and our client base has been growing organically thanks to our ever-rising reputation.