Electronic trading system
View Patent ↗An anonymous trading system comprises one or more matching engines, one or more market distributors and one or more trader terminals for input of orders from institutions trading on the system. The trader terminals are connected to the system through bank nodes. A broker terminal is connected through a bank node and enables voice brokers to trade on the system on behalf of client traders. The voice brokers terminal can be configured for any client trader and will display the market view for that trader. Trades in which the broker terminal participates are not concluded until a manual credit check has been performed.
1. A computerised trading system for trading instruments between trading parties, comprising:
a communications network for transmitting electronic messages;
a plurality of trader order input terminals connected to the communications network, each for inputting orders into the system and for generating electronic orders including bid and/or offer orders and for communication to traders of order information received from other input terminals over the network;
at least one broker order input terminal connected to the communications network for inputting orders into the system and for generating electronic orders including bid and/or offer orders on behalf of a selected one of a plurality of client traders and for communication to a broker of order information received from other input terminals over the network;
at least one matching engine computer connected to the network for matching bid and offer orders input into the system from the order input devices and for selectively executing deals where prices are matched; and
one or more market distributor computers connected to the network for distributing order information to the order input terminals, the one or more market distributor computers being responsive to the order information and the matching engine computer, and the one or more market distributor computers also distributing to the trader order input terminals an indication of the amount of the market in the instrument being traded that has been input from the at least one broker order input terminal.
2. A system according to claim 1 , comprising a credit store for storing an indication of credit available for trades between each trading party trading via one of the plurality of trader order input terminals, whereby deals are executed automatically by the matching engine computer if sufficient credit for the deal exists between the counterparties, the credit limit further including an indication of whether credit is available for trades between a trading party trading via a broker order input terminal and a counterparty, the system further comprising a message generator for sending a message to a broker order input terminal and the order input terminal of a counterparty to a proposed deal, the deal confirmation message identifying the counterparty to the proposed deal and requesting confirmation from each counterparty that they wish to proceed with the deal.
3. A system according to claim 2 , wherein the system further comprises a credit filter arranged to filter the order information to each order input terminal to distinguish information relating to orders with which the party represented by the order input terminal has sufficient credit to trade at least a portion of the order amount, and wherein the at least one broker order input terminal can select a given one of the plurality of the client traders whereby the order information displayed at the broker order input terminal is filtered to distinguish dealable order information for the party of the selected client trader.
4. A system according to claim 3 , wherein the broker order input terminal is configurable to display order information relating to all orders submitted to the system.
5. A system according to claim 3 , wherein the broker order input terminal is connected to a network node, the network node being arranged to submit order information from the broker order input terminal to the matching engine computer and to receive order information from other order input terminals for communication to the broker order input terminal.
6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the broker order input terminal includes means for inputting into the system, details of trades conducted outside the system with other brokers.
7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the trader order input terminals include means for disclosing the identity of a party to a trade to the broker order input terminal before a trade is agreed upon.
8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the trading system is an anonymous trading system.
9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the instruments traded are financial instruments.
10. A system according to claim 7 , wherein the financial instruments are Forward Rate Agreements (FRAs).
11. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the or each broker input terminal appears the same as a trader order input terminal to the communications network.
12. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of client traders comprise voice traders.
13. A system according to claim 1 , wherein electronic orders generated by the at least one broker order input terminal are owned by the broker.