Livevol

Livevol, established in 2009, operates as a financial technology firm specializing in equity and index options analytics and data services. The company was founded by a group of options traders who identified a need for more sophisticated analytics on the trading floor. Catherine Clay, who had a background as an options market maker at Timber Hill and later co-founded her own market-making firm, Thales LLC, joined Livevol in 2010 as Chief Strategy Officer and was appointed CEO in 2013. Her experience in trading directly informed the development of the company's products.

The company's core business revolves around providing professional and retail traders with advanced tools and data for the U.S. options market. Its business model is centered on subscription-based access to its web-based analytics platforms and data solutions. Livevol's product suite includes a range of technology and data services, such as a consolidated data feed, real-time programmable analysis and scanning, historical data files for backtesting, and decision support tools. Key platforms have included Livevol Pro, a comprehensive web-based tool with real-time data, alerts, and market scanners, and Livevol Core, a lighter version for non-professionals. The company also offered Livevol X, a high-performance trade execution platform, and Livevol Enterprise, which provided data and analytics via an API for integration into client systems.

A significant milestone in Livevol's history was its acquisition by CBOE Holdings (now Cboe Global Markets) in 2015. The deal, finalized on August 7, 2015, included Livevol's market data services and trading analytics platforms, integrating them into Cboe's offerings to expand its market data services business. The acquisition did not include Livevol's affiliated broker-dealer, Livevol Securities, Inc. Following the acquisition, Livevol's platforms were enhanced to provide more detailed analytics on Cboe's proprietary index products, such as VIX and SPX options. In March 2017, the Livevol X execution platform was sold to Sterling Trading Tech. Today, Livevol continues to operate as a brand under Cboe, offering options analysis, earnings analysis, and market statistics.

Keywords: options analytics, trading technology, market data services, financial data, equity options, index options, volatility analysis, trade analysis, Cboe, Catherine Clay, historical options data, trading platform, real-time analytics, backtesting, options scanning, financial technology, risk management tools, Livevol Pro, options trading tools, market surveillance