Auctioning mechanisms for dark order block trading

1. A computer-implemented method of controlling a market-reflective auction to prevent system gaming in an electronic trading platform, said method comprising:

continually monitoring, by a programmed computer of the electronic trading platform, bid and ask prices in an electronic market;

responsive to said monitoring, continually determining a level of liquidity associated with said bid and ask prices;

determining that the level of liquidity has reached a predetermined level;

automatically initiating, responsive solely to said determining, the auction with no auction initiation request;

preventing the system gaming, by the programmed computer, during the initiated auction by:

soliciting orders for the auction by transmitting a notification of the auction to a plurality of preselected market participants;

calculating a reference price for conducting the auction, the reference price calculated as a midpoint of the monitored bid and ask prices in the electronic market, and independent of prices in firm limit orders received from among the plurality of market participants responsive to said soliciting;

screening said received orders by comparing order data in the received orders against the calculated reference price to identify qualifying orders among the received orders; and

processing and filling, by the programmed computer, only the orders identified as qualifying orders.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a firm limit order received from a market participant is a dark order, the dark order not being visible to a broader market.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of market participants receive limited or no information in the notification as to an auction time.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein an actual auction time is randomized and unknown to the plurality of market participants.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising building, by the programmed computer, an order book for the auction based on firm limit orders received from the plurality of preselected market participants, wherein a firm limit sell order is identified as an ineligible order and removed from the order book when its price is higher than the reference price.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising building, by the programmed computer, an order book for the auction based on firm limit orders received from the plurality of preselected market participants, wherein a firm limit buy order is identified as an ineligible order and removed from the order book when its price is lower than the reference price.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising designating a buy-side or a sell-side as a light-side or a heavy-side in the auction, wherein the buy-side or the sell-side with the lowest total number of shares is defined as the light-side, and wherein the buy-side or the sell-side with the highest total number of shares is defined as the heavy-side.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising calculating a maximum execution size, the maximum execution size representative of a number of shares to be distributed to each order on the heavy-side.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the calculation comprises comparing two values, a first value representative of the smallest order size on the heavy-side and a second value representative of a computational value yielded by dividing the total number of shares on the light-side by the number of orders on the heavy-side, the maximum execution size being a minimum of the first value and the second value.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein a first distribution of shares is distributed to each order on the heavy-side, each order on the heavy-side receiving the first distribution of shares equal to the maximum execution size calculated.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a second distribution of shares is distributed to each order on the heavy-side that has not been completely filled, the second distribution representative of a remaining balance of shares on the light-side after the first distribution of shares to each order on the heavy-side, the remaining balance of shares being distributed proportionally to each order on the heavy-side that has not been completely filled by the first distribution of shares.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising calculating a number of orders eligible to receive a fill on the heavy-side.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the auction includes a minimum fill size, the calculation comprises comparing two values, a first value representative of a number of orders on the heavy-side and a second value representative of a computational value yielded by dividing the total number of shares on the light-side by the minimum fill size, the number of orders eligible to receive a fill on the heavy-side being a minimum of the first value and the second value.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein one or more orders on the heavy-side is eliminated when the minimum of the first value and the second value is less than the number of orders on the heavy-side.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a first distribution of shares is distributed to each order remaining on the heavy-side after the one or more orders on the heavy-side is eliminated, each order remaining on the heavy-side receiving the first distribution of shares equal to the minimum fill size.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein a second distribution of shares is distributed to each order remaining on the heavy-side that has not been completely filled, the second distribution representative of a remaining balance of shares on the light-side after the first distribution of shares to each order remaining on the heavy-side, the remaining balance of shares being distributed proportionally to each order remaining on the heavy-side that has not been completely filled by the first distribution of shares.

17. A computer system for controlling a market-reflective auction to prevent system gaming of the computer system, comprising:

a memory component;

a processing component coupled to said memory component, wherein the processing component is configured to:

continually monitor bid and ask prices in an electronic market;

responsive to said monitoring, continually determine a level of liquidity associated with said monitored bid and ask prices;

determine, responsive to said monitoring, that the level of liquidity as reached a predetermined level;

automatically initiate, responsively solely to said determination, the auction absent an auction initiation request;

prevent the system gaming during the initiated auction, said processing component further configured to:

solicit orders for the auction by transmitting a notification of the auction to a plurality of preselected market participants;

calculate a reference price for conducting the auction, the reference price calculated as a midpoint of the monitored bid and ask prices in the electronic market, and independent of prices in firm limit orders received from among the plurality of market participants responsive to said soliciting;

screen said received orders by comparing order data in the received orders against the reference price to identify qualifying orders among the received orders; and

process and fill only the received orders identified qualifying orders.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium programmed to include instructions that, when executed by a processing device of an electronic trading platform, cause the processing device to perform a method of controlling a market-reflective auction to prevent system gaming of the electronic trading platform, said method comprising:

continually monitoring bid and ask prices in an electronic market;

responsive to said monitoring, continually determining a level of liquidity associated with said monitored bid and ask prices;

determining that the level of liquidity has reached a predetermined level;

automatically initiating, responsive solely to said determining, the auction absent any auction initiation request;

preventing the system gaming during the initiated auction by:

soliciting orders for the auction by transmitting a notification of the auction to a plurality of preselected market participants;

calculating a reference price for conducting the auction, the reference price calculated as a midpoint of the monitored bid and ask prices in the electronic market, and independent of firm limit orders received from among the plurality of market participants responsive to said soliciting;

screening said received orders by comparing order data in the received orders against the reference price to identify qualifying orders among the received orders; and

processing and filling only the received orders identified qualifying orders.