Clearing House

A separate agency through which all gold contracts on exchanges are handled. The clearing house may be owned by banks or by exchange members. The agency is responsible for matching up the participating firms on every contract traded. This constant monitoring enables it to advise exchange members at the end of each day what their net margin requirements are, based on the respective long and short positions of their clients.

The clearing house also matches offsetting orders for members and issues notices to holders of short positions to make delivery. By presiding over the smooth working of the mechanics of the exchange, the clearing house guarantees every contract, thus giving the exchange its credibility.