OptionsCity

The Chicago company developed instructions for a computer that tells it not just what to trade, but how to trade, and when to trade — all based on historical comparisons among different markets, and all executed in micro-seconds. Those instructions to the computer are called algorithms, and at OptionsCity, its algorithm is called Freeway, and it’s on the cutting edge of futures trading for speed, creativity and low development costs.

To make sure that Freeway stays on the cutting edge, OptionsCity opened the Algo Store — the equivalent of an iTunes store for financial-futures algorithms. The Algo Store is a unique marketplace where third-party developers and analysts can collaborate on still newer, more sophisticated algorithms, and sell them to Freeway or other trading platforms.