Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 28
Wall Street Firms Build AI Trading Agents as Platforms Eye 10-Fold Jump in Transactions
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 28

Wall Street Firms Build AI Trading Agents as Platforms Eye 10-Fold Jump in Transactions

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jul 28

Summary

  • Robinhood, Public and startups are moving agentic investing from concept toward deployment, building tools that can analyze portfolios, automate workflows and increasingly execute trades for users.
  • 10-fold higher transaction volumes could follow, Citizens' Devin Ryan said, with some platforms potentially seeing most trades by number handled by agents by the end of next year.
  • Podium Markets AI's Ivy and Public's in-house agents still keep humans in control, reflecting a gradual rollout in which users review recommendations or approve workflows before any action.
  • Retail investors have already tested ChatGPT and Claude for stock research and trade ideas, but results have been mixed, with some users reporting losses and warning against blind automation.
  • Guardrails are becoming central because translating vague goals like 'grow my portfolio aggressively' into suitable trades is harder than executing orders, raising conduct and firm-risk concerns.

Insights

Are brokerages offering autonomous AI traders to build your wealth, or just to quietly multiply their own transaction fees?
If an AI trading agent goes rogue and drains your portfolio, who is legally forced to foot the bill?
Could millions of AI agents reading the exact same market signals accidentally trigger the next catastrophic financial flash crash?