Method and system for developing and applying market data scenarios

1. A method for developing and applying market data scenarios, the method comprising:

providing a computer system;

receiving by a record and replay daemon operating on the computer system market data from a market data distribution platform;

storing the received market data in a data store operating on the computer system;

replaying the stored market data by the record and replay daemon;

changing the stored received market data by the record and replay daemon system with respect to at least one specific asset included in the market data by applying in an automated manner a contrived market activity scenario, not reflective of actual market activity, to the stored received market data with respect to the at least one specific asset, including entering at least one parameter directed to the at least one specific asset, whereby performance of the at least one specific asset is changed from performance of the at least one specific asset in the stored received market data to a contrived performance of the at least one specific asset, the contrived market activity scenario being selected from a plurality of different contrived market activity scenarios stored on the computer system, whereby at least one value of the at least one stored specific asset is changed to simulate market activity desired by a user to create contrived market data with respect to the at least one specific asset;

wherein changing the stored market data by the record and replay daemon operating on the computer system includes changing the stored market data by one or more of accelerating or decelerating an update rate, pausing and inserting custom updates, injecting error conditions, manipulating an overall update stream programmatically, adjusting a yield for a set of bonds, shifting foreign exchange rates, shifting equity prices, and shifting options; and

transmitting by the record and replay daemon the contrived market data with respect to the at least one specific asset to a client application, whereby the client application processes the contrived market data with respect to the at least one specific asset as if it were market data transmitted directly from the market data distribution platform.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the stored market data includes creating the plurality of different stored contrived market activity scenarios by a user on a user interface operating on the computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing a plurality of snapshots of a complete market data record from the market data distribution platform on the data store; and transmitting the stored snapshots of the complete market data record on the data store to client applications, such that the client applications use the transmitted snapshots to initialize themselves.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a computer system includes providing includes providing a market data simulator having the record and replay daemon, the data store, and a proxy server; and wherein the record and replay daemon communicates with the proxy server, and the proxy server communicates with the client application.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein providing a market data simulator includes providing a market data simulator for receiving the market data in a stream of market data in real time from the market data distribution platform.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting by the record and replay daemon includes replaying on demand the contrived market data to the client application.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving by the record and replay daemon includes recording information from the market data distribution platform by a record module included in the record and replay daemon.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein recording information from the market data distribution platform by the record module includes recording update values and initial value records that are stored periodically in the data store.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein transmitting by the record and replay daemon includes replaying the contrived market data to the client application; and wherein replaying the contrived market data includes creating an entire record during the replaying.

10. A system for developing and applying market data scenarios, the system comprising:

a computer system;

a record and replay daemon operating on the computer system for receiving market data from a market data distribution platform;

a storage device operating on the computer system for storing the market data received by the record and replay daemon;

the record and replay daemon replaying the market data stored in the storage device;

the record and replay daemon changing the market data stored in the storage device with respect to at least one specific asset included in the market data by applying in an automated manner a contrived market activity scenario, not reflective of actual market activity, to the stored market data with respect to the at least one specific asset, including entering at least one parameter directed to the at least one specific asset, whereby performance of the at least one specific asset is changed from performance of the at least one specific asset in the stored received market data to a contrived performance of the at least one specific asset, the contrived market activity scenario being selected from a plurality of different contrived market activity scenarios stored on the computer system, whereby at least one value of the at least one stored specific asset is changed to simulate market activity desired by a user of the computer system to create contrived market data with respect to the at least one specific asset;

wherein the record and replay daemon changes the stored market data by one or more of accelerating or decelerating an update rate, pausing and inserting custom updates, injecting error conditions, manipulating an overall update stream programmatically, adjusting a yield for a set of bonds, shifting foreign exchange rates, shifting equity prices, and shifting options; and

the record and replay daemon transmitting the contrived market data with respect to the at least one specific asset to a client application, whereby the client application processes the contrived market data with respect to the at least one specific asset as if it were market data transmitted directly from the market data distribution platform.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a user interface operating on the computer system; and wherein the record and replay daemon changes the stored market data by creating the plurality of different stored contrived market activity scenarios by a user on the user interface.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the storage device stores a plurality of snapshots of a complete market data record from the market data distribution platform; and the record and replay daemon transmits the stored snapshots of the complete market data record to client applications, such that the client applications use the transmitted snapshots to initialize themselves.

13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a market data simulator having the record and replay daemon, the data store, and a proxy server; and wherein the record and replay daemon communicates with the proxy server, and the proxy server communicates with the client application.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the market data simulator receives the market data in a stream of market data in real time from the market data distribution platform.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the record and replay daemon replays on demand the contrived market data to the client application.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the record and replay daemon records information from the market data distribution platform by a record module included in the record and replay daemon.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the record module records update values and initial value records that are stored periodically in the data store.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the record and replay daemon creates an entire record during the replay on demand.