Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for maintaining neutrality while trading a list of securities using an algorithmic trading facility coupled with at least one destination. This destination includes at least one alternative trading system (ATS). This facility is coupled, via an electronic data network, to a plurality of trading clients, and configured to receive a trade request to trade a list of securities from a trading client. This request includes user defined trading constraints that are used to generate and transmit trade orders to at least one ATS. The orders are transmitted based on trading data related to the destinations, the trade list, and the trading constraints. The facility can identify each executed trade corresponding to the trade orders and calculate a trade imbalance. The facility can determine whether the trade imbalance exceeds the trading constraints, and reallocate one or more of said submitted orders based on this determination.

Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating trading of securities, preferred methods comprising receiving a first buy or sell order from a first user; calculating a block price range; determining that said first order is reasonably priced; transmitting to a second user a notification that a reasonably priced order is present, but without notifying said second user of the side; receiving a second order from said second user, wherein said second order is a contra to said first order and nearly matches but does not cross said first order; transmitting a contra order notification to said second user after said second order is received, said contra order notification indicating that a nearly matching contra order is active; receiving a third order from said second user, said third order being a contra to said first order and crossing said first order, and executing a trade comprising said first order and said third order.

Abstract: A method and system for forecasting the transaction cost of a portfolio trade execution that may be applied to any given trade strategy or an optimal trade strategy that minimizes transaction costs. In preferred embodiments, a server comprises one or more computers that act as an automated forecaster whereby it accepts user-defined input variables from customers and generates a transaction cost estimation report based on those variables. The server is programmed with specific transaction cost estimation and optimization algorithms that model the transaction costs of a specific trade execution based on the user's trading profile and market variables.

Abstract: One exemplary aspect comprises a computer-implemented method comprising: (a) electronically receiving, from a first securities market participant, data including information related to a first order and to one or more group rankings for dissemination; (b) electronically determining with one or more processors, based on data regarding a second securities market participant and the order information and group rankings, whether the second securities market participant has a second order, on the contra side of the first order, and whether, in accordance with the group rankings, the second securities market participant is qualified to receive information about the first order; and, (c) after, and only if, the second participant is determined to be qualified, transmitting information sufficient to display to the second securities market participant the information about the first order.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for outputting data that represents the change in value of an options premium that would have resulted if the options traded in a direct linear volume relationship with its underlying security is provided. Input values utilized include a delta value, a gamma value, a value-weighted average price of an underlying stock, a reference price of the underlying stock, and an original order premium value.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems for managing short-term risk to a portfolio of securities holdings while executing an outstanding trade list. The methods and systems may include steps of determining covariances between securities in the outstanding trade list and securities in the portfolio of holdings; receiving a risk variable, at least one constraint on the execution of a trade, and a proposed quantity representing a portion of said outstanding trade list desired to be executed at a particular time; and determining an immediately executable trade list based at least in part on the covariances and risk variable. The executable trade list must satisfy all of the trade constraints and also must be substantially equal to or less then the proposed quantity.

Abstract: One exemplary aspect comprises a computer-implemented method comprising: (a) electronically receiving, from a first securities market participant, data including information related to a first order and to one or more group rankings for dissemination; (b) electronically determining with one or more processors, based on data regarding a second securities market participant and the order information and group rankings, whether the second securities market participant has a second order, on the contra side of the first order, and whether, in accordance with the group rankings, the second securities market participant is qualified to receive information about the first order; and, (c) after, and only if, the second participant is determined to be qualified, transmitting information sufficient to display to the second securities market participant the information about the first order.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product are provided for forecasting the transaction costs of a trade using empirical data and user-defined modeling constraints based on real-time data regarding changes in market conditions. In preferred embodiments, the invention acts as a forecaster whereby it accepts inputs from customers and identifies real-time market analytics, and provides dynamically adjusted ex ante cost estimates and metrics for the prevailing market conditions. Specific cost estimation and optimization algorithms can be provided to model transaction costs of a specific trade based on empirical data and real-time variables.

Abstract: A method and system for optimizing allocation of large block orders for a security for maximum fill rate and minimum information leakage. The invention includes a process by which a block order for a security is allocated to a number of suborders which are then submitted to various electronic trading destinations to be filled. This allocation process involves ranking the suborders on the basis of a quality measurement, calculating and assigned a liquidity expectation to each suborder, determining a maximum target execution rate for the security that will not result in market impact, assigning orders to a trade list beginning with the higher rank suborder until the sum of shares represented in the list is equal to the maximum target execution rate, allocating the suborders not assigned to the trade list, and submitting the suborders to the corresponding electronic trading destination.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to electronic trading systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing, within an electronic trading process, real-time or near real-time pre- and post-trade analytics to assist traders make the decision of how to trade electronically a particular tradeable asset. Pre- and post-trade analytics can be displayed to a trader without affecting their workflow. Moreover, pre- and post-trade analytics can be used to make trading recommendations, to select or modify a trading strategy, to select and or modify trading destinations, brokers, algorithms or venues, and/or to automatically generate and transmit electronic trade orders or to effect trades.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for outputting data that represents the change in value of an options premium that would have resulted if the options traded in a direct linear volume relationship with its underlying security is provided. Input values utilized include a delta value, a gamma value, a value-weighted average price of an underlying stock, a reference price of the underlying stock, and an original order premium value.

Abstract: A system for determining fair value prices of financial securities of international markets includes selecting a universe of securities of a particular international market, computing overnight returns of each security in the selected universe over a predetermined past period of time, selecting at least one return factor of a domestic financial market from a plurality of return factors, computing, for each selected return factor, the return factor's daily return over said predetermined past period of time, calculating, for each selected return factor, a return factor coefficient for each security in the selected universe by performing a time series regression to obtain the contribution of each return factor's return to the security's overnight return, and producing each calculated return factor coefficient in a data stream.

Abstract: New and improved methods and systems for modeling the performance of selected company metrics. Multiple, non-traditional sets of objective data along with mathematical analytical techniques are used to provide transparency and visibility into company performance relating to the particular metrics. Company inflection points and changes in strategy may be identified. The performance of a company and/or the performance of a selected industry or industry sector may be analyzed.

Abstract: A post-trade aggregation system includes an allocation middleware interface, which interacts with an order management system to allocate and settle trades. The order management system receives a trade order on behalf of a customer and either apportions the trade into a plurality of smaller orders and communicates them to a plurality of order destinations directly (e.g. via the FIX protocol), or sends large orders to an order staging and optimization interface which then apportions the larger orders into a plurality of smaller orders and communicates the orders to a plurality of order destinations. The post-trade aggregation system contains an allocation middleware interface which receives the individual trade executions from the plurality of order destination and compresses them into a single average-priced block.

Abstract: New and improved methods and systems for modeling the performance of selected company metrics. Multiple, nontraditional sets of objective data along with mathematical analytical techniques are used to provide transparency and visibility into company performance relating to the particular metrics. Company inflection points and changes in strategy may be identified. The performance of a company and/or the performance of a selected industry or industry sector may be analyzed.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for maintaining neutrality while trading a list of securities using an algorithmic trading facility coupled with at least one destination. This destination includes at least one alternative trading system (ATS). This facility is coupled, via an electronic data network, to a plurality of trading clients, and configured to receive a trade request to trade a list of securities from a trading client. This request includes user defined trading constraints that are used to generate and transmit trade orders to at least one ATS. The orders are transmitted based on trading data related to the destinations, the trade list, and the trading constraints. The facility can identify each executed trade corresponding to the trade orders and calculate a trade imbalance. The facility can determine whether the trade imbalance exceeds the trading constraints, and reallocate one or more of said submitted orders based on this determination.

Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating trading of securities, preferred methods comprising receiving a first buy or sell order from a first user; calculating a block price range; determining that said first order is reasonably priced; transmitting to a second user a notification that a reasonably priced order is present, but without notifying said second user of the side; receiving a second order from said second user, wherein said second order is a contra to said first order and nearly matches but does not cross said first order; transmitting a contra order notification to said second user after said second order is received, said contra order notification indicating that a nearly matching contra order is active; receiving a third order from said second user, said third order being a contra to said first order and crossing said first order; and executing a trade comprising said first order and said third order.

Abstract: One or more aspects comprise: (a) receiving confidential information that comprises data regarding first and second market participants; (b) receiving order and targeting parameters from said first participant; (c) receiving confidential trading interest information from said second participant; (d) identifying said second participant as a participant likely to take a contra side of said order; (e) routing said order to said second participant without revealing said first participant's identity or other confidential information regarding said first market participant, and wherein no information regarding said second participant or said confidential trading interest information received from said second participant is transferred to said first participant; and (f) producing a targeted dissemination list of market participants based on said confidential information and said order and targeting parameters, and wherein identifying a second participant that is most likely to take a contra side of said order is bas

Abstract: Methods and systems for optimizing a plurality of portfolios, each portfolio including one or more shares of one or more tradable assets, and may include the steps of: receiving asset data associated with the plurality of the portfolios; receiving one or more optimization constraints including at least one global constraint defining a constraint to be applied across an aggregate of the plurality of portfolios; for each portfolio, optimizing the asset data based on the one or more optimization constraints to create optimized portfolio data; aggregating the optimized portfolio data to create aggregate optimized asset data; determining if the aggregate optimized asset data satisfies the at least one global constraint; and only if the at least one global constraint is satisfied, outputting the optimized asset data.

Abstract: A computer implemented method and system for executing block trades for a security includes steps or devices for receiving a block trade request, at a computer system. The block request includes data representing a quantity of shares of the security to be traded over a period of time. The computer system divides the period of time into a plurality of time bins. A computer system, for the received block trade request, computes, for each time bin, a number of shares to be traded as a trading target based on at least historical trading volumes using predictive analysis. For a first time bin, a computer system generates executable trade orders for a number of shares to be traded that is substantially equal to the trading target for the first time bin. A computer system executes at least a portion of the executable trade orders in a trade forum within each time bin in the future.