Having spent today in a meeting with a leading Asian market-maker, I am always astonished by the degree of liquidity in the Asian football markets. Bets of £1m are commonplace on the Premiership/ Serie A and there is a proactive trading mentality here that puts the European layers to shame.
In the mid-nineties, the Asians dominated global football markets through prime proprietary analysis and market-making, extensive control networks and by offering the most liquid markets. In Hong Kong, Macau, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, the market expertise that one came across were unparalleled in the west.
Initially, the reaction of the European bookmakers was largely defensive but, in recent times, they have taken to exercise some level of control through their non-competitive business strategies. Financial liquidity versus psychopathic control is always an entertaining market structure.
The top Asian traders and market-makers are hugely creative in all aspects of their trading operations - the real time dynamic assessment of their market strategies is one of the most pleasurable (and challenging) areas of being a football market analyst.
The Asians are nimble. They constantly experiment. It's akin to chess. Strategic and tactical doctrines are based upon deception to confuse competitors. Utilising indirect approaches and a flexible coordination addresses any areas of weakness in their business operation.
The Europeans are sluggish in comparison. They only experiment with monopolistic control. Power always prevails in their game plans.
A suitable portfolio of brokers and market-makers for any serious trader must include the Asian operators alongside the Betting Exchanges (BXs) and, perhaps, a couple of Spread Betting accounts.
