The present invention relates a futures exchange for services contracts.
The SerFEx is an electronic market system that enables the exchange of
cash (spot and forward) contracts and futures contracts for the delivery
of services. Services are traded on the exchange similar to commodities
on a prior art commodities exchange. The exchange allows the futures
market to determine the right price for services for the producers and
consumers of those services. Participants may buy, sell, or leverage
services contracts through a variety of order types. The exchange is
composed of an electronic infrastructure that has four major components:
a front-end facility comprised of licensed authorized intermediaries, an
automated bid/ask matching system, a clearinghouse system, and a title
management system. The exchange operates twenty-four hours per day and
seven days per week with all accounts settled at least once in every
twenty-four hours. Participants in the exchange may be producers of
services, intermediaries, speculators, and consumers of the services.