Patent ID: 7707096

Claim:
A method of trading a futures contract, comprising the steps of: at a computer of an electronic trading system designed to trade futures on compensatory options, receiving from a first party an order to trade a futures contract on a compensatory option contract, the compensatory option contract providing a fight to purchase or sell a financial instrument of an issuer that issued the compensatory option to the initial issuee of the compensatory option as compensation for employment by or services to the issuer, the compensatory option providing a right to purchase or sell the instrument at a specified option price, the futures contract creating a duty on the purchaser to purchase or sell the compensatory option contract at a delivery date; receiving at a computer of the electronic trading system a counter order for the one futures contract from a counter party; and as a result of matching of the order and counter order, issuing transfer instructions to transfer the futures contract on the compensatory option contract between the first party and the counter party.