* Thomson Reuters say FX volumes hit record in Feb
* TradeWeb, MarketAxess say bond volumes also jump
* Volatility helps volumes to ruse(Adds bond exchange data, details, background)
By Tommy Wilkes
Thomson Reuters said on Tuesday average daily volumes of FXproducts in February rose to
A sudden sell-off in stock markets in late January and theramifications of an end to record central bank stimulus haverattled investors and caused trading to accelerate across assetclasses.
Volatility in FX and bond markets have risen, albeit fromhistorically low levels.
In the bond market, a new European Union financial marketsdirective known as MiFID II came into force at the start of thisyear, encouraging more investors to shift onto electronictrading venues.
Bond investors have generally executed trades over the phoneand many have resisted the move to electronic platforms untilrecently.
TradeWeb, one of the world's biggest bond platforms andmajority-owned by Thomson Reuters, said European-based clientshad traded 73 percent more European corporate and financialbonds - products affected by the new rules - in February versusa year earlier.
Another bond platform, MarketAxess, saw volumes for thefirst two months of this year rise to
Kevin McPherson, global head of sales at MarketAxess, saidMifid II was "among the drivers of the high level of electronictrading".
Global fixed-income markets were showing "signs of returningto more normal levels of volatility," he said.
Average daily trading volumes of currencies at ThomsonReuters topped