Auctioning mechanisms for dark order block trading

1. A computer-implemented method of controlling an auction by a programmed computer, said method comprising:

automatically initiating an online auction, at a pre-determined auction time, said pre-determined auction time being unknown to market participants;

determining, by a randomized timer of the programmed computer, a randomized auction duration, said randomized auction duration being unknown to market participants;

transmitting a notification of the auction to one or more computer devices associated with a plurality of market participants, said notification excluding information as to the pre-determined auction time and the randomized auction duration;

receiving one or more firm limit orders from the one or more computer devices;

storing, in an order book, only those orders among the one or more firm limit orders that are received during the randomized auction duration;

upon an expiration of the randomized auction duration, terminating the auction and preventing the storage of any additional orders among the one or more firm limit orders that are received after said terminating;

determining a reference price based on market data received from the one or more computer devices during said auction;

determining whether each stored firm limit order is eligible or ineligible to be filled based on the reference price;

removing, from the order book, each firm limit order determined to be ineligible to be filled; and

filling each firm limit order determined to be eligible to be filled based on the reference price.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a firm limit order received from the one or more computer devices comprises a dark order, the dark order not being visible to a broader market.

3. The method of claim 1 , 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.

4. The method of claim 1 , 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.

5. 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.

6. The method of claim 5 , 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.

7. The method of claim 6 , 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.

8. The method of claim 6 , 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.

9. The method of claim 8 , 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.

10. The method of claim 5 , further comprising calculating a number of orders eligible to receive a fill on the heavy-side.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein 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 a 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.

12. The method of claim 11 , 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.

13. The method of claim 12 , 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.

14. The method of claim 13 , 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 die heavy-side that has not been completely filled by the first distribution of shares.

15. A computer system for controlling an auction, comprising:

a processor operatively coupled to a memory, the processor configured to:

automatically initiate an online auction at a pre-determined auction time, said pre-determined auction time being unknown to market participants;

determine, by a randomized timer component, a randomized auction duration, said randomized auction duration being unknown to market participants;

transmit a notification of the auction to one or more computer devices associated with a plurality of market participants, said notification excluding information as to the pre-determined auction time and the randomized auction duration;

receive one or more firm limit orders from the one or more computer devices;

store, in an order book, only those orders among the one or more firm limit orders that are received during the randomized auction duration;

upon an expiration of the randomized auction duration terminate the auction and prevent the storage of any additional orders among the one or more firm limit orders that are received after the auction is terminated;

determine a reference price based on market data received from the one or more computer devices during said auction;

determine whether each stored firm limit order is eligible or ineligible to be filled based on the reference price;

remove, from the order book, each firm limit order determined to be ineligible to be filled; and

fill each firm limit order determined to be eligible to be filled based on the reference price.

16. 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 an auction, said method comprising:

automatically initiating an online auction at a pre-determined auction time, said pre-determined auction time being unknown to market participants;

determining, by a randomized timer component, a randomized auction duration, said randomized auction duration being unknown to market participants;

transmitting a notification of the auction to one or more computer devices associated with a plurality of market participants, said notification excluding information as to the pre-determined auction time and the randomized auction duration;

receiving one or more firm limit orders from the one or more computer devices;

storing, in an order book, only those orders among the one or more firm limit orders that are received during the randomized auction duration;

upon an expiration of the randomized auction duration, terminating the auction and preventing the storage of any additional orders among the one or more firm limit orders that are received after said terminating;

determining a reference price based on market data received from the one or more computer devices during said auction;

determining whether each firm limit order is eligible or ineligible to be filled;

removing, from the order book, each firm limit order determined to be ineligible to be filled; and

filling each firm limit order determined to be eligible to be filled based on the reference price.