Middle East uncertainties loom, growth and inflation risks persist | MarketTalk: What’s up today?

CFTC-regulated prediction markets exchange Rothera, a joint venture between Robinhood and Susquehanna International Group, has announced seven executive hires and promotions across risk, compliance, technology, security, operations, legal and product. The new leadership brings experience from the OCC, Citadel, Brevan Howard, ICE, Cboe and IEX, as Rothera passes 6 billion cumulative contracts traded since its May 2026 launch.

OANDA Japan has restricted trading on accounts that may have been affected by unauthorised access after login details stored on GMO's Onamae.com Desktop Cloud VPS leaked. The broker says its core systems were not breached and is directing affected clients to GMO's compensation process while urging password changes and 2FA.

Alpaca has received in-principle approval from ADGM's FSRA for Alpaca Clearing & Custody ME Ltd. Subject to a Financial Services Permission, the entity plans to offer brokerage services and virtual asset custody, bringing Alpaca's API-driven brokerage infrastructure closer to partners in the Middle East region.

US stock futures edged higher in early trading today as investors prepared for a week of major central bank decisions. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%, Dow futures gained 0.3%, and Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.3%, following Friday’s selloff.

Brent crude is trading at $115.57 after retreating from its recent high of $118.23. The moving averages indicate a mixed short term picture.

iSAM Securities Apex is working with LMAX Group to bring perpetual futures pricing to FX and CFD brokers through the Apex platform.

ICM MENA has promoted Ahmed Kamal to Chief Executive Officer. Kamal joined the firm in March 2019 as Business Development Manager and most recently served as Regional Manager. He brings more than a decade of experience in financial markets, with expertise in foreign exchange, business development and team leadership.

Theorem has integrated Symbiotic’s Liquid Lane RFQ network, letting holders of tokenised real-world assets trade against on-chain pool liquidity and market-maker quotes. The integration is live on Ethereum, with Midas’s yield-bearing mHYPER fund as the first supported asset. Holders can trade for the USDC stablecoin.

US equities were volatile with technology selloff erasing much of the earlier rebound.

FM Summit London 2026 returns to Old Billingsgate on 24 November for its 15th edition, with LMAX Group, Plus500 and oneZero among confirmed exhibitors. The one-day event adds Business Connect meetings and roundtables, and opens with a networking evening at The Folly on 23 November.