Arches, which works across multiple asset classes and currencies, is being touted as "particularly suited" for specialized products - such as derivatives, niche commodity, OTC fixed-income and small cap equities markets - where generating and concentrating liquidity is a challenge. Privately held 4th Story that has partnered with the likes of the NYSE Euronext and Reuters amongst others, is understood to have been working on the new system for around one year before its market release. It is known for its suite of automated trading and analysis products that help brokers, hedge funds and institutional traders get their trading ideas to market quickly and efficiently. These products provide rapid testing and implementation of arbitrarily complex quantitative, algorithmic and automated strategies. For some this might all be akin to a minority sport.