Patent ID: 7908193

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory element electronically coupled to the at least one processor, the memory element comprising software that when executed by the at least one processor, directs the at least one processor to: receive a plurality of requests to buy and to sell a futures contract, wherein a buyer of the futures contract agrees to (i) buy one of a plurality of assets from a first asset class underlying the futures contract and (ii) buy one of a plurality of assets from a second asset class underlying the futures contract at an expiration of the futures contract, wherein a seller of the futures contract agrees to (i) sell one of a plurality of assets from the first asset class underlying the futures contract and (ii) sell one of a plurality of assets from the second asset underlying the futures contract at the expiration of the futures contract, wherein the first asset class comprises fixed income bonds, wherein the second asset class comprises credit default swaps issued on fixed income bonds, wherein the futures contract specifies: (i) a quantity of a fixed income bond from the first asset class to be delivered at the expiration of the futures contract, and a quantity of a credit default swap from the second asset class to be delivered at the expiration of the futures contract, and wherein the apparatus is operable to receive the plurality of requests via a communications network from respective computing devices; execute a transaction involving at least one of the plurality of requests to sell the futures contract; provide to a respective computing device a confirmation of execution of the transaction involving the at least one request to sell the futures contract; execute a transaction involving at least one of the plurality of requests to buy the futures contract; and provide to another respective computing device a confirmation of execution of the transaction involving the at least one request to buy the futures contract.