Lit continuous trading in European equities is declining. This is a trend that needs to be understood and analysed so that we can identify the causes and potential impact on end investors and market quality. Lit continuous order books, where buyers and sellers trade against displayed quotes, are a fundamental part of how prices are formed. Their health matters to everyone who participates in European equity markets.

Despite accounting for just 4% of the EU’s population, the Netherlands has emerged as a critical gateway for European capital markets through decades of investment in market infrastructure, liquidity and participation. Its success provides a blueprint for policymakers seeking to deepen and integrate Europe’s capital markets.

For the past several years, US stock investors have hedged their portfolios largely by looking at their calendars. Fed meetings, CPI prints, elections – whenever an event appeared on the horizon, investors would look to short-dated options to protect against the possibility of volatility.