MarketAxess(US:MKTX)2025-11-07 17:02Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for the third quarter was $209 million, reflecting a slight increase from the prior year, with a 1% growth overall [5][19] - Revenue growth outside of U.S. credit was strong at 10%, while U.S. credit revenue growth faced challenges [5][19] - Diluted earnings per share were reported at $1.84 [19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total commission revenue remained flat compared to the prior year, while services revenue increased by 9% to a record $29 million [19] - Information services revenue rose by 6% to $14 million, and technology services revenue increased by 20% to $4 million [20] - Total block trading ADV was approximately $5 billion year-to-date, up 23% across U.S. credit, emerging markets, and Eurobonds [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - U.S. credit trading volume grew at a 4% CAGR in North America, while other credit products experienced double-digit growth [10] - 36% of global credit trading volume is now driven by clients outside of North America, up from 29% in 2020 [10] - In October, total portfolio trading ADV was up 25%, and market share in U.S. credit portfolio trading increased by 300 basis points [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on providing a protocol-agnostic platform that utilizes data and analytics to assist clients in choosing the appropriate trading protocol [5][6] - Investments are being made in technology transformation, portfolio trading, dealer-to-dealer business, and automation tools to enhance competitive positioning [33][34] - The introduction of closing auctions to the fixed income market is aimed at providing an end-of-day liquidity solution [9][41] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledged the challenges posed by limited volatility and tight spreads, impacting revenue growth in U.S. credit [5][6] - There is optimism regarding the potential for higher levels of growth due to ongoing investments in technology and new initiatives [18][36] - Recent increases in volatility and spreads in November are seen as positive indicators for future performance [61][62] Other Important Information - The effective tax rate increased to 27.1%, reflecting a higher accrual for uncertain tax positions [20] - The company generated $385 million in free cash flow over the trailing 12 months and repurchased 595,000 shares year-to-date for a total of $120 million [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: On the Mid-X U.S. launch and overall share gains - Management discussed the early success of the Mid-X launch and its relationship with portfolio trading, emphasizing the need for additional dealer participation [28][30] - Concerns about overall market share growth were acknowledged, with a commitment to faster technology enhancements to address competition [32][33] Question: About the closing auctions and market share - Management highlighted the significant investment in closing auctions, which are designed to support the growing indexation of the fixed income market [41][44] - The potential for closing auctions to capture a portion of the $150 trillion global fixed income market was discussed [43][44] Question: On U.S. block trading and dealer liquidity - Management noted that block trading presents a significant opportunity, with growth rates improving in recent months [52][53] - The importance of content and dealer partnerships in driving block trading success was emphasized [54] Question: On the macro environment and growth strategies - Management acknowledged the challenges of low volatility and tight spreads but expressed optimism about recent increases in activity [61][62] - The strategy of being protocol agnostic was reiterated as a key to navigating different market conditions [71][72] Question: On the mix of volumes in credit and trade sizes - Management explained the trend of smaller trades becoming smaller and larger trades becoming larger, attributing this to portfolio trading and SMA growth [77][78] - The expectation that larger trades will continue to be broken into smaller trades was discussed [80][81]