Performance

The performance of a direct market access system is evaluated on four criteria: speed, reliability, consistency and functionality. Some of these attributes are inversely related to each other. For example, the redundancies necessary to increase system reliability also reduce the speed of each transaction. We continuously evaluate the balance of these attributes in order to maximize our client’s profits and enable trading strategies that would otherwise be impossible.

Speed

Protocol - In its most basic form, Lightspeed Gateway is a proprietary protocol that allows markets and trading algorithms to communicate. While some protocols are built to satisfy the needs of many, Lightspeed Gateway is built for those who need speed. That’s why competitors like FIX will have a hard time being as fast as we are. They require integration of open-source libraries that must be optimized to break their forward’s compatibility and upgrade-ability. Lightspeed Gateway is optimized internally so that details are hidden from the end user, making the code simple, fast and stable.

Co-Location -Active trading is a race where milliseconds make all the difference. Lightspeed Gateway co-locates its servers in the same data-centers as NASDAQ so that data only needs to travel through a few feet of fiber optic cable.

Efficiency – Lightspeed Gateway prides itself on being brutally efficient. All risk and compliance checks are made prior to sending data to market without incurring any measurable latency. It is Lightspeed Gateway’s efficiency that allows these services to be provided with no significant impact on performance.

Reliability

Protocol-Based Stability -A simple protocol implies simple code, and simple code is always more stable. That’s one of the strongest motivations behind the Lightspeed Gateway protocol specification.

Hardware-Based Stability -Our single-tasked computers can be horizontally scaled from the technology powering Lightspeed Gateway. Single component failure should not affect the system as a whole.

Consistency

Order Entry -There are countless opportunities in the market, but many are short-lived. This results in large numbers of orders being placed in short periods of time. Lightspeed Gateway’s order entry system is specifically designed to avoid this problem – it handles 15 million orders every day and provides customers with a service they can count on.

Market Data -Nowhere else is the adage “garbage in, garbage out” more true than in automated trading. Consistent and dependable delivery of market data to a black box is an absolute necessity. Lightspeed Gateway excels in this area too. Offering a multitude of delivery options and historical data for end-user back testing, Lightspeed Gateway gives your black box the market data it needs to be effective.

Functionality

Connectivity – Lightspeed Gateway connects to all the major markets, NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, and is co-located with NASDAQ at their military grade hosting facility. Additionally, order types such as RASH are supported by Lightspeed Gateway’s order entry system.  

To open an account or learn more about Lightspeed Gateway, please email us at tam@lightspeed.com or call 888-LSPD-123 toll free.