Tokyo traders feel need for speed

Higher volatility in Japanese equity markets, coupled with a more flexible short-selling regime, is likely to boost high-frequency trading volume in domestic stocks this year, say clearing brokers and system vendors. HFT accounts for about 40% of Japanese trading volume, according to market estimates, and Tanuja Randery, chief executive of low-latency trading infrastructure vendor Marketprizm, has seen a significant pick-up in HFT activity in Japan over the past six months. So f…