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Expressive Bidding

  • Introduction
  • Getting Started
  • Expressive Bidding Guide
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  • Developer Reference

Expressive Bidding

Introduction to Expressive Bidding


Production Status: Expressive Bidding is currently enabled for the US Equities ATS "Pairs" only (i.e. Expressive Orders consisting of two symbols with constraints on relative price and quantity), and does not currently include the `mkt()` function. Examples are included beyond what is currently live to facilitate discussion of expected use cases and testing. For details on currently available functionality, please see our Form ATS-N.

Expressive Bidding in a Nutshell

One of the defining features of a Smart Market is the ability to express highly customizable bidding preferences over one or more securities. OneChronos offers direct and indirect users this capability through "Expressive Bidding" — an optional toolset for creating custom, confidential orders that can help VWAP, IS, Liquidity Seeking, and other trading algorithms:

  • Respond dynamically to unique liquidity
  • Receive customized fills
  • Improve fill consistency
  • Reduce or avoid unintended execution risks

Expressive Bidding also allows you to express flexibility, for example, across substitutable symbols or the amount of desired price improvement for a given quantity. By giving investors and traders the ability to express what they need and where they’re flexible, the potential for their orders to interact in the market and receive improved execution increases dramatically. Note that Expressive Bidding is currently enabled for the US Equities ATS "Pairs" only (i.e. Expressive Orders consisting of two symbols). For more information, please see our Form ATS-N.

A key building block of Expressive Bidding is bidder logic — code that allows you to describe your preferences and constraints using auction-time inputs such as imbalance, spread, price dislocation, passing volume, quote fade (NBBO consensus), and many other variables. Bidder logic can be used by brokers to enhance their algorithms and smart-routing strategies, or by indirect users to complement parent or child level strategies, and to seek portfolio-level efficiencies that aren't feasible using conventional execution tools. Bidder logic can capture powerful trading behaviors in just a few lines of code:


Pair SpreadFull Template

Trade two securities at mid or better, but only if the price spread between them at auction time is greater than some customizable amount; otherwise don't participate:

reason
let spread = abs(mid(a) - mid(b));

/* Trade both at mid or better only if spread constraint is met */
[subject_to(const(spread) >= const(arg.bidder_data.spread),
place_notional(mid(a) * qty(a) + mid(b) * qty(b)))
];

Before Getting Started - Context on Expressive Bidding


    Can I get a bit more detail on the auction mechanics and where Expressive Bidding fits in?


    What types of trading strategies might benefit from using Expressive Bidding?


    Is Expressive Bidding something I would use directly, or through my broker?


    If my broker and my firm are not using Expressive Bidding, what do I get out of OneChronos?


    What are the high-level logistics involved for those Using Expressive Bidding directly?

Take a look at the Getting Started page if you're ready to take the next step, or reach out to your broker to see how they might incorporate Expressive Bidding into their algorithms or on a customized basis. Always feel free to reach out to us at info@onechronos.com for more information and for help with Expressive Bidding.

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OCX Group Inc. is an independent, venture backed company that uses cutting edge technological paradigms to enable the next generation of electronic trading through its separate subsidiary entities. Contact us at info@onechronos.com.

OneChronos ® Markets LLC is a wholly-owned broker-dealer that operates a U.S. equities ATS and is a subsidiary of OCX Group Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC: www.finra.org. Check the background of OneChronos Markets LLC on FINRA’s BrokerCheck. A copy of OneChronos Markets LLC’s ATS-N is available here.

OneChronos Markets FX LLC will operate a Spot FX Platform and is a subsidiary of OCX Group Inc.

Subject to regulatory approval, OneChronos Markets UK Limited will operate a Multilateral Trading Facility to trade UK and Swiss equities, and its wholly owned subsidiary OneChronos Markets NL B.V. will operate a Multilateral Trading Facility to trade European equities.

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