Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating retail price improvement of a security order. The systems and methods may include receiving at an exchange, using a processor, a retail order to buy or sell a security; receiving at the exchange, using a processor, a contra-side non-displayed order for the security, wherein the contra-side non-displayed order has an improved price relative to a benchmark; and filling, using a processor, at least a portion of the retail order at the improved price using the contra-side non-displayed order.

Abstract: A reprice-to-block order and related market center and process are disclosed which automatically reprice a posted limit order to the price of a block trade executed at an inferior price on a market away from the market center that posted the limit order.

Abstract: Systems and methods for transforming an electronic portfolio. A system includes an electronic crossing platform that receives data defining trade orders of the electronic portfolio during an initial time period; compares portions of the data to determine an imbalance of the trade orders remaining after the initial time period and receives, during a final time period, a final trade order from a fund agent device to offset the remaining imbalance. The platform receives, after the final time period, a benchmark value of the electronic portfolio from a fund device; compares the final trade order with the remaining imbalance to determine an adjustment value; converts the benchmark value to a final value by applying the adjustment value to the benchmark value; and transforms the electronic portfolio into the transformed portfolio by creating paired buy and sell orders among the trade orders received during the initial time period at the final value.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating retail price improvement of a security order. The systems and methods may include receiving at an exchange, using a processor, a retail order to buy or sell a security; receiving at the exchange, using a processor, a contra-side non-displayed order for the security, wherein the contra-side non-displayed order has an improved price relative to a benchmark; and filling, using a processor, at least a portion of the retail order at the improved price using the contra-side non-displayed order.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating retail price improvement of a security order. The systems and methods may include receiving at an exchange, using a processor, a retail order to buy or sell a security; receiving at the exchange, using a processor, a contra-side non-displayed order for the security, wherein the contra-side non-displayed order has an improved price relative to a benchmark; and filling, using a processor, at least a portion of the retail order at the improved price using the contra-side non-displayed order.

Abstract: A directed order process and related market center are disclosed, wherein a market center grants permission to order sending firms to send directed order flow to participating designated market makers. Such designated market makers create a virtual guarantee order book for each permissioned order sending firm. If an order sending firm sends a directed order to the market center that is marketable against a virtual guarantee order, then the market center automatically pairs the orders in a two-sided directed cross order instruction, which executes against any superior trading interest in the marketplace first before crossing.

Abstract: The APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A LOCKED-IN TRADE FACILITATION ENGINE (“LITF ENGINE”) provides and facilitates delivery of open futures positions, upon or before expiry, into financial instruments, such as currency-denominated fixed income market positions. The LITF ENGINE facilitates cash trade transactions produced upon expiration of currency-denominated interest rate and fixed income futures contracts such as U.S. Treasury futures. In one embodiment, the LITF ENGINE provides a delivery process for U.S. Treasury futures, where contracts that remain open after the close of trading on the last trading day of the delivery month may be automatically submitted as locked-in trades in the underlying U.S. Treasury securities eligible for settlement on a delivery vs. payment (DVP) basis on the next business day.

Abstract: An enhanced system and method for handling, matching and executing a diverse group of limit-priced orders in an electronic options environment is disclosed. Most of the order types disclosed are automatically repriced and reposted as the NBBO changes to increase their execution opportunities. Market maker entitlements are integrated with the order processing, so that the market maker is guaranteed an allocation of the trade if the market maker is at the NBBO when an order priced at or better than the NBBO is received. Once posted to the order book, the displayed price of an order may be eligible for preferential execution in a market maker entitlement process, regardless of whether the displayed price is original or has been automatically repriced.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating and trading structured futures and various vehicles to allow nearly equivalent financial instruments to be created and traded on exchanges are described, including computer systems and computer implemented methods that allow the creation and trading of structured futures and related financial instruments. Computer systems and methods may be used to calculate the value of structured futures and related financial instruments before maturity and their payoff value at maturity.

Abstract: An enhanced system and method for handling, matching and executing a diverse group of limit-priced orders in an electronic options environment is disclosed. Most of the order types disclosed are automatically repriced and reposted as the NBBO changes to increase their execution opportunities. Market maker entitlements are integrated with the order processing, so that the market maker is guaranteed an allocation of the trade if the market maker is at the NBBO when an order priced at or better than the NBBO is received. Once posted to the order book, the displayed price of an order may be eligible for preferential execution in a market maker entitlement process, regardless of whether the displayed price is original or has been automatically repriced.

Abstract: An enhanced system and method for executing options trades are disclosed. The lead market maker entitlements are integrated with sophisticated order types, including dark order types, so that the lead marker maker is guaranteed an allocation of the trade if the lead market maker is at the NBBO when an order priced at or better than the NBBO is received. The lead market maker is not provided an opportunity to price improve to execute with a specific incoming order. Additionally, market makers who are not the lead market maker in an option series may be granted the privileges of a lead market maker for the purpose of executing with a specific incoming directed order if the designated market maker is at the NBBO when a directed order priced at or better than the NBBO is received. The system and method disclosed encourages market makers to quote the best price possible, which in turn has the effect of narrowing spreads.

Abstract: A Dynamic Transaction Management and Clearing Engine that transforms various data inputs into transaction processing outputs. Contract purchase details, including position volume and purchase volume, for a plurality of contract purchases, each contract having a specified term and trading on an exchange, may be recorded. Short position delivery intents may be received from exchange members having short positions. An instrument nomination specifying a financial instrument to be delivered by a respective associated exchange member may be received for each short position delivery intent. Received short position delivery intents may be aggregated, and a pool of long positions that will take delivery of short positions associated with the aggregated short position delivery intents may be determined. A delivered positions record comprising details for the short positions associated with the aggregated short position delivery intents and the pool of long positions that will take delivery may be generated.

Abstract: An electronic trading system (ETS) implements risk mitigation methods for orders and quotes associated with a market participant on the ETS. The methods determine a measure of risk associated with one or more trading positions. One of the methods globally counts the number of breaches of risk thresholds associated with a trading symbol and market participant across all matching engines on the ETS over a rolling time period, and if this global risk counter exceeds a maximum, disables all further trades by the market participant on the ETS. Another method limits the number of automatic re-enablements that a market participant can request in response to prior breaches of risk thresholds that resulted in disabling any further trading by the market participant on the ETS.

Abstract: An electronic trading system implements collar protection for received marketable orders. A collar price is determined based on best bid and offers prices or the price of a recently executed trade. Orders matched at prices worse than the collar price (from the perspective of the marketable order) are not allowed to execute. When execution of orders is halted, a collar timer runs. When the collar timer exceeds a time threshold, the collar price is modified based on a collar move parameter. The collar move parameter may be modified when the reset collar timer subsequently exceeds the time threshold.

Abstract: The APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A VOLATILITY EXPIRATION INDEX PLATFORM (“VEIP”) transforms user and market data inputs via VEIP components into Vol Ex Index publication and Vol Ex Index instrument communications outputs. A current reference security price may be determined for a reference security. A plurality of option strike prices may be derived from the current reference security price. Implied volatility and delta may be determined for options associated with each derived option strike price and used to calculate a delta-weighted implied volatility for each derived option strike price. A weighting for each derived option strike price may be determined and used along with the delta-weighted implied volatilities to calculate a volatility expiration index value for the reference security. Using the volatility expiration index value, a volatility expiration index financial instrument may be generated and introduced into a financial instrument exchange market.

Abstract: An electronic trading system (ETS) implements risk mitigation methods for orders and quotes associated with a market participant on the ETS. The methods determine a measure of risk associated with one or more trading positions. One of the methods globally counts the number of breaches of risk thresholds associated with a trading symbol and market participant across all matching engines on the ETS over a rolling time period, and if this global risk counter exceeds a maximum, disables all further trades by the market participant on the ETS. Another method limits the number of automatic re-enablements that a market participant can request in response to prior breaches of risk thresholds that resulted in disabling any further trading by the market participant on the ETS.

Abstract: A directed order process and related market center are disclosed, wherein a market center grants permission to order sending firms to send directed order flow to participating designated market makers. Such designated market makers create a virtual guarantee order book for each permissioned order sending firm. If an order sending firm sends a directed order to the market center that is marketable against a virtual guarantee order, then the market center automatically pairs the orders in a two-sided directed cross order instruction, which executes against any superior trading interest in the marketplace first before crossing.

Abstract: A directed order process and related market center are disclosed, wherein a market center grants permission to order sending firms to send directed order flow to participating designated market makers. Such designated market makers create a virtual guarantee order book for each permissioned order sending firm. If an order sending firm sends a directed order to the market center that is marketable against a virtual guarantee order, then the market center automatically pairs the orders in a two-sided directed cross order instruction, which executes against any superior trading interest in the marketplace first before crossing.

Abstract: A system is configured to hold price improvement auctions for customer orders for a duration that is based on a random timer. The system receives an initiating order from an auction guarantor that describes the financial instrument that a customer wishes to trade. The auction guarantor provides a guaranteed order that can fill the initiating order. A random time period to hold the auction is selected. The system solicits responses from other market participants for the financial instrument. When the random time period expires the system matches the initiating order against the responses, existing orders in an order book, and the guaranteed order.

Abstract: An enhanced system and method for executing options trades are disclosed. The order book and quote book are maintained separately to make quote and order processing more efficient, but the order book and quote book are integrated, as needed, to determine the marketability of incoming quotes and, where necessary, so that incoming quotes can execute against resting quotes or orders.