Exchange Connectivity

Reach for this when you're building or debugging the plumbing between your trading systems and venues. It covers the practical details: setting up FIX sessions for order routing and drop copy, troubleshooting sequence number gaps, integrating native exchange protocols like OUCH and ITCH when you need microsecond-level latency, and designing failover paths so a session drop doesn't blow up your trading day. Also handles the surrounding context like mapping symbology across CUSIP/ISIN/FIGI, implementing Rule 15c3-5 market access controls, and planning co-location versus proximity hosting. Most useful when you're evaluating connectivity architecture decisions or need to understand what's happening when market data feeds hiccup during a trading halt.

skills.sh installs: 706
GitHub stars: 224
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add joellewis/finance_skills --skill exchange-connectivity --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Exchange Connectivity

Core Concepts

Venue Connectivity Architecture

Trading venues expose electronic interfaces through which broker-dealers, market makers, and institutional participants submit orders and receive execution reports. The connectivity architecture between a firm and its execution venues is a foundational component of trading infrastructure.

Direct Market Access (DMA): DMA allows a firm to send orders directly to an exchange's matching engine without intermediation by another broker's order management system. The firm maintains its own FIX session (or proprietary protocol connection) with the exchange and is responsible for pre-trade risk controls. DMA is used by broker-dealers with exchange memberships and by proprietary trading firms.

SKILL.md on GitHub