Patent attributes
A system mitigates the effects of a market spike caused by the triggering and election of conditional orders in an automated matching system. The system monitors trading that takes place as a result of the cascading triggering of conditional orders. When an order is executed beyond a predetermined price threshold, an instrument may be flagged, allowing matching to take place only at or within the predetermined price threshold. Orders within the price threshold are matched at the price threshold against orders beyond the price threshold, in order to dampen any instantaneous damaging effects of the price spike. The system may adjust the price threshold when market appropriate, allowing the order flow to bring the market back to whatever is the true price level. The system mitigates price fluctuations that are purely conditional order cascade driven, but allows the market to continuously trade in controlled price and time intervals to ensure that a true market move can still occur and not have price control mechanisms hinder trade matching and true price discovery.