CACrown ArchivesHistory · sources · collections
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Automated trading system

subset of algorithmic trading, uses a computer program to create buy and sell orders and automatically submits the orders to a market center or exchange

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 14, 2026
Entity authorityQ4292129
Source-derived summary

An automated trading system (ATS), a subset of algorithmic trading, uses a computer program to create buy and sell orders and automatically submits the orders to a market center or exchange. The computer program will automatically generate orders based on predefined set of rules using a trading strategy which is based on technical analysis, advanced statistical and mathematical computations or input from other electronic sources. Such systems are often used to implement algorithmic trading strategies that typically operate at high speed and frequency.

These automated trading systems are mostly employed by investment banks or hedge funds, but are also available to private investors using simple online tools. An estimated 70% to 80% of all market transactions are carried out through automated trading software, in contrast to manual trades.

Automated trading systems are often used with electronic trading in automated market centers, including electronic communication networks, "dark pools", and automated exchanges. Automated trading systems and electronic trading platforms can execute repetitive tasks at speeds orders of magnitude greater than any human equivalent. Traditional risk controls and safeguards that relied on human judgment are not appropriate for automated trading and this has caused issues such as the 2010 Flash Crash. New controls such as trading curbs or 'circuit breakers' have been put in place in some electronic markets to deal with automated trading systems.

Mechanism

The automated trading system determines whether an order should be submitted based on, for example, the current market price of an option and theoretical buy and sell prices.

Editorial summary

“Automated trading system” enters the record as subset of algorithmic trading, uses a computer program to create buy and sell orders and automatically submits the orders to a market center or exchange. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Automated, trading and system can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2010—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Automated, trading and system.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Automated trading system” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Automated, trading and system provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4292129. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2010.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Automated trading system”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Automated trading system primary sources, Automated trading system archive and Automated research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Automated trading system”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Automated trading system” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.