摘要 |
An electronic commodity exchange system provides a neutral marketplace where buyers (11) and sellers (13) of a particular commodity, such as steel, can transact business in a real-time, secure manner. The system includes a full-featured trading exchange that gives buyers and sellers of the products the ability to: create inquiries; search inquiries; create offers; search for available products; and track through a plurality of transactions, over time, in order to manage the purchase and sale of the particular commodity. The system is capable of generating a plurality of standardized buyer, seller and administrative reports for creating a paper trail of the transactions conducted on the exchange. The system also provides comprehensive information and analysis of the industry related to the particular commodity being transacted through the exchange. An advanced feature of the invention provides the buyers and sellers with the ability to dynamically filter offers and inquiries in order to manage the audience of particular transactions. |