Lit pool

Lit pools are effectively the opposite of ‘dark’ pools or dark liquidity. Whereas ‘dark’ venues do not display prices at which participants are willing to trade, lit pools do show these various bids and offers in different stocks. Primary exchanges operate in such a way that available liquidity is displayed at all times and form the bulk of the lit pools available to traders. However, an automated trading system (ATS) can operate on a displayed basis if it and its members choose to do so.