this could be: 1. bullish (in vol if not direction) for the stock mkt or electronic markets in general 2. indicative of a new inflationary leg and new downward territory in the dollar 3. monex plans to expand ts into asian retail markets which are probably underserved 4. nothing much, and just a smart investment by someone who had a sense that ts would get picked up for these or other reasons on a tangent, this is an interesting story: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/market-panic-signs/