Foreign exchange average daily trading volumes slid 11.5 percent in February versus the same month a year earlier, CLS said on Friday, as sharply lower volatility in currency markets crimped investors' appetite for trading. Average daily trading volumes touched $1.725 trillion in February, down from $1.949 trillion a year earlier and $1.784 trillion in January, CLS, a major settler of trades in the foreign exchange market, said in a statement.
Currency trading platforms have experienced a slower start to the year as volatility, which is often correlated with trading volume growth, has slumped. The suppression of volatility has been caused in part by central banks moving together in pressing pause on plans to tighten monetary policy.
Refinitiv, which runs one of the world's largest trading platforms, said on Thursday volumes were down 7.6 percent in February from a year earlier. CLS said spot volumes had shrunk by a large 25 percent last month from 2018 levels, while forward and swap trading volumes were also lower.

Copyright Reuters, 2019

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