INTL FCStone Markets LLC, a financial services company, added a custom pricing function to its structured products online calculator. SPOC also has been optimized for mobile access.

SPOC is an online pricing tool providing qualified users with open access to IFM’s pricing portfolio, showing prices for commodities at various locations, to bring transparency to the marketplace. A qualified user can be a farmer, grain or livestock merchandiser, or anyone who is a customer of IFM’s market advisory service. The company has an office in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Looking beyond current price
With the new custom pricing feature, users can view the company’s real-time structured product quotes at levels other than the current board price. IFM has developed this function based directly on client feedback. It better facilitates the strategies of customers who want to hedge a given product at a specific price. 

For example, the custom pricing feature would allow a qualified user to determine how far the price of corn would need to move for the user to hedge effectively. This enhancement builds on the early and substantial success of SPOC, which has seen its qualified user base grow since its launch in October.   

Mark Maurer, chief executive officer at IFM, says, “Determining the most beneficial hedging strategy can be difficult without the right tools in place, but SPOC significantly streamlines this process for our customers. The addition of custom pricing functionality provides even greater transparency by highlighting structured product pricing information that isn’t available elsewhere.”

Help available on technology
Maurer adds, “In addition to our technology solutions, the expertise of our team is unmatched. SPOC allows instantaneous and direct connection to INTL FCStone brokers and traders so they can assist in developing and implementing the customer’s marketing strategy.”

IFM has optimized SPOC for mobile use, enabling customers to access all functions in an easy-to-view manner from any device, Maurer says. Regardless of where qualified users may be when they log in to the platform, they will be provided with educational resources on the company’s structured products, a Mid-Market Mark that brings transparency to the forefront, and more. Additionally, SPOC stores customer pricing histories for reference against future hedging activities. The IFM team analyzes each client’s entire risk profile, combined with their initial hedging targets, to locate potential risks the customer may not have considered.

More transparency to commodities market
“We are committed to promoting transparency in the OTC commodities market, and to helping producers and qualified users tailor their hedging programs to suit their unique needs,” Maurer says. “This philosophy drives us to continually enhance SPOC based on client feedback, as well as our other technology solutions. Our business is built upon a foundation of added-value client service, and the recent enhancements to SPOC further our mission of redefining high-touch while assisting clients in building comprehensive risk management strategies.” 

Source: INTL FCStone Inc.