BRIEF TRANSMISSIONS

New York Stock Exchange is awaiting results of survey sent to quote vendors who participated in November 12th overnight "stress test" designed to replicate volume of October 19th-20th, 1987 (MTR, November 1988). SIAC's goal is to make 600 million share day as easy as 225 million. "That was very much a success, but then we stressed it beyond that" to one billion share level, says Tom Haley, NYSE vice president, market data services. Somewhere above 600 million, certain unidentified vendors began to lose data. "I don't know where we found the breaking point to be," says Haley. "I'm not exactly sure where it ran out of steam." Another "more meaningful" test will be held in March, says SIAC's John Barous, after software improvements are made. "We were pumping data high at times and slow at other times and were not able to gradually go up and down" in most recent test, he says. "It's understandable that some of the vendors were not able to keep up at times."

Newco consortium of interdealer brokers in U.S. Treasuries market has begun talking turkey with quote vendors about proposed last sale ticker (MTR, November 1988). One vendor was asked to pay $200,000 annual connect fee plus $10-$25/month terminal charge for each workstation receiving Newco data.

Lotus Information Network Corp. has released 49-page directory of third-party software packages supported by Signal data feed. 40 packages range from macro toolkits to file conversion routines to option strategy simulators. Several major names are absent from directory, but source reports Master Chartist from Roberts-Slade, Inc. will soon be Signal-compatible. Separately, in attempt to grab at low end of market, Lotus has introduced 15-minute delayed service on hand-held Quotrek unit in Chicago.

Telerate Systems, Inc. has completed worldwide upgrade of backbone network, doubling data throughput from 9600 bits/second to 19.2 kilobits/second. Further enhancement to 25 kilobits is expected shortly in U.S., says Gerald Mintz, vice president, marketing, at firm's Americas Group. Backbone net connects Telerate's master computer to regional slaves, which in turn are connected to customer terminals via multidrop tail circuits. New devices coming out of test are expected to improve performance of intercity or heavily loaded tail circuits, says Mintz.

Telemet America, Inc. has introduced MS-Windows software package for Radiotext (formerly Radio Exchange) broadcast market data service. "Discover/RE" supports multiple quote windows, two-minute bar charts, and historical charting, says Telemet. Package also supports DDE protocol, providing link to Excel spreadsheet.

MMS International is expected to release "MMS Direct," PC-based version of market analysis service, in mid-December. Service, to be delivered by Mainstream FM broadcast network, will allow non- Telerate, Reuters, Bridge, etc. subscribers to receive MMS analysis (MTR, July 1988), sources report.

Correction: November MTR misidentified primary market data supplier to Canadian broker Richardson Greenshields. Firm has 16-month, C$1.4 million contract with Dataline, Inc. for terminals in two-thirds of Canadian branches, plus all New York and European operations.

Helping People Manage Change: Leland Prussia, chairman, Aria International, becomes first outside director at MMS International....Des Maberly, executive editor, Reuters North America, takes early retirement at year's end, to be replaced by Andrew Nibley, currently news editor, Europe.