upstairs market

Upstairs market

A network of trading desks for the major brokerage firms and institutional investors, which communicate with each other by means of electronic display systems and telephones to facilitate block trades and program trades.

Upstairs Market

The trading of listed securities that occurs off the floor of the exchange. That is, the upstairs market is essentially over-the-counter trading for a listed security. Much of the time, upstairs trades occur within a broker-dealer firm with the broker-dealer acting as the agent for both counterparties. Some exchanges prohibit these trades.

upstairs market

The trading of securities within a broker-dealer firm rather than taking a trade to an exchange floor or trading with another broker-dealer in the over-the-counter market. In the upstairs market, the broker-dealer acts as a dealer or as an agent for both parties.