What Is an Interdealer Quotation System (IQS)?
An interdealer quotation system (IQS) is an electronic system for organizing and disseminating price quotes by brokers and dealer firms. IQSs are intended to provide investors with timely and relevant market information on whi🌃ch to base their invest🌜ment decisions.
In the United States, the National Association of Sec𒆙urities Dealers Automatic ꧙Quotation (Nasdaq), Nasdaq SmallCap Market, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) exchange platforms are integrated into one IQS. By using this integrated system, investors have access to a wide range of securities, ranging from large 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:blue-chip companies to smaller 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:micro-caps.
Key Takeaways
- Interdealer quotation systems (IQS) prove price information and facilitate electronic trading in securities.
- An IQS works by connecting price quotations from several exchanges into one platform, so as to improve functionality for market participants.
- There are a number of different types of IQSs and each has its own specializations.
- In the United States, popular examples include Nasdaq, Nasdaq's SmallCap Market, and OTCBB platforms.
Understanding an Interdealer Qu♏otatioꩲn System (IQS)
An IQS functions by tying together the price 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:quotations of various exchanges into one platform. This allows investors to more easily access security price quotations that would otherwise need to be monitored on several separate exchanges. As such, the creation of an IQS promotes the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:liquidity and accessibility of financial markets.
The exact specifications of an IQS will depend on the specific focus of its constituent exchanges. For example, the OTCBB displays quotes, last sale price, and volume information for many 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:over-the-counter (OTC) securities that are not otherwise listed on national securities exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The securities listed on the OTCBB include domestic and foreign companies, as well as 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:American depository receipts (ADRs). The OTCBB, and other OTC exchanges, are sometimes referred to as "澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:pink sheets."
Another way that an IQS can benefit investors is by enabling a higher level of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:regulatory oversight. For instance, the OTCBB requires broker-dealers to qualify as 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:market makers under the rules of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史🌌查询:Financial Industry Regulator☂y Authority (FINRA) before being able to quote securities on the OTCBB. Similarly, companies who have to have their securities quoted on the OTCBB must obtain sponsorship from a market maker and file regular financial reports with regulators, such as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Examples of Interdealer Quotation Systems (IQSs)🌠
Another example of an IQS is OTC Link, which provides quotations focused on small and thinly traded securities. The securities traded through OTC Link do not have any eligibility requirements and often do not provide timely financial disclosures to regulators.
At the other end of the spectrum is the Nasdaq, which is home to over 3,000 technology companies. The companies that trade on the Nasdaq exchange are generally large and establisꦗhed businesses, and in some cases are among the largest companies in the world.
Examples of prominent Nasdaq-listed companies include Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Unlike their OTC counterparts, these securities are highly liquid and regularly file financia𝓀l statements and other information with the SEC.