How to Use the U-Mart Market Simulator

Abstract

The U-Mart system utilizes the following three types of tools in experiments by human agents: a market simulator, a market server and a trading terminal. Not much difference can be found among these three tools in their appearances and uses. In addition, a tool that uses only the machine agents to conduct experiments under various conditions (accelerating experiment support tool) are also prepared, as well as another tool for machine agents to participate in a transaction through a network (network adapter). This chapter gives an explanation as to how to use the market simulator. If you learn how to handle the market simulator, you will be able to make full use of the entire U-Mart system.¹

These tools have been developed when conducting an open experiment of the U-Mart or conducting various lectures using U-Mart. Most of these have been developed individually, so system designs, appearances, uses, and the system environments. Operating systems (OS) have yet to be integrated. At the publication of this book, Prof. Isao Ono of Tokyo Institute of Technology has redeveloped the U-Mart system. At the same time, Prof. Naoki Mori of Osaka City University has developed the graphic user interface (GUI) as part of the system in order to integrate the graphical interface.