Remisiers must up their service to remain of value

S NALLAKARUPPAN is correct in saying "the silence in the dealing rooms of late is deafening - it is quieter than the library" ("MAS, SGX and market players pow-wow needed", BT, Nov 18). But it's not the whole truth; the phones haven't been ringing for a long time, not just lately.

Retail investors are not calling because there are now other avenues to trade or to communicate with their remisiers. Many retail clients have taken to Internet trading via their laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. It is cheaper and more efficient from the investor's viewpoint. In fact, many remisiers have cut their fixed-line phones from three or two to just one. Besides voice calls, retail investors can reach their remisiers via SMS, email and other messaging apps like Line and WhatsApp.

Hence, a quiet trading room does not mean that few or no trades are being done. Indeed, one advantage of electronic trading is the peace and quiet in the dealing room, which spells a more conducive environment for remisiers to think and to catch up with the many emails, analyst reports, news, etc, in today's information age. It is strange indeed why remisiers would root for those "good old days" where "phones ring non-stop and off the hooks and you hold them to your ears till they become too hot".