Method and apparatus of analyzing social network data to identify a financial market trend

• US 10,387,971 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton, Sara C
• Application Number:
  US13/627,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,519 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In general, the present disclosure includes a system, method and architecture for use in analyzing content of a social network data to identify a financial market trend, e.g., a trend associated with a financial market instrument.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a server of a financial website provider analyzing electronic message content, a number of electronic messages of a plurality of electronic messages posted to at least one computerized social network during a time span and containing a reference to a financial market instrument, wherein the determining the number of electronic messages comprises;

in addition to determining whether each electronic message contains a reference to the financial market instrument, determining whether to include each electronic message in the number of electronic messages by filtering, using at least one filter, each electronic message of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network, the filtering comprising;

ignoring each electronic message from a source where the number of electronic messages from the source during a time period exceeds a threshold number;

determining, by the server of the financial website provider, a time span message average using the determined number of electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the time span that contain the reference to the financial market instrument, wherein determining the time span message average comprises;

determining the time span message average using a ratio of the determined number of electronic messages over a number of time intervals into which the time span is divided;

determining, by the server of the financial website provider, a message count for a selected time interval of the number of time intervals in the time span, wherein the selected time interval'"'"'s message count indicates the number of the electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the selected time interval that contain the reference to the financial market instrument;

determining, by the server of the financial website provider, a percentage change in the number of electronic messages that contain the reference to the financial market instrument, wherein determining the percentage change in the number of electronic messages comprises;

determining the percentage change in the number of electronic messages using a ratio of the selected time interval'"'"'s message count over the time span message average; and

serving, by the server of the financial website provider over an electronic communications network to one or more user computing devices, a web page of the financial website provider, wherein the web page of the financial website provider comprises;

displaying, via a first portion of the webpage, the financial market instrument reference and the percentage change in the number of electronic messages containing the reference to the financial market instrument,

wherein the serving causing the web page to be displayed on a display of each of the one or more user computing devices, and

wherein the financial market instrument reference in the first portion of the web page is selectable by a user to view one or more of the determined number of electronic messages that contain the reference to the financial market instrument.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining, by the server of the financial website provider, a plurality of percentage changes in the number of electronic messages, each percentage change in the number of electronic messages corresponding to a financial instrument of a plurality of financial instruments;

comparing, by the server of the financial website provider, the plurality of percentage changes in the number of electronic messages determined for the plurality of financial market instruments, the comparing selecting a set of financial market instruments, each of the selected financial market instruments having a greater percentage change in the number of electronic messages than unselected ones of the plurality of financial market instruments; and

serving, by the server of the financial website provider over the electronic communications network to the one or more user computing devices, the web page comprising the financial market instrument reference of each of the selected financial market instruments and the percentage change in the number of electronic messages determined for each of the selected financial market instruments, the serving causing the web page to be displayed on the display of each of the one or more user computing devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time span message average is a ratio of the determined number of electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the time span that contain the financial market instrument reference and a number representing the one or more time intervals into which the time span is divided, the one or more time intervals comprising the selected time interval.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the server of the financial website provider, a sentiment weighting using the electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the selected time interval and containing the reference to the financial market instrument, the determining comprising using a textual analyzer to analyze message content.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, by the server of the financial website provider, a trend in the number of references to the financial market instrument in the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages and the determined sentiment weighting.

6. The method of claim 4, the determining a percentage change in the number of electronic messages further comprising:

determining, by the server of the financial website provider, the percentage change in the number of electronic messages as a weighted percentage change in the number of electronic messages for the financial market instrument using the selected time interval'"'"'s message count, the time span message average and the sentiment weighting determined for the financial market instrument.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a pricing associated with the financial market instrument using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages and sentiment weighting determined for the financial market instrument.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a pricing associated with the financial market instrument using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages determined for the financial market instrument.

9. A server of the financial website provider comprising:

a processor;

storage medium tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the stored program logic comprising;

determining logic executed by the processor for determining, by analyzing electronic message content, a number of electronic messages of a plurality of electronic messages posted to at least one computerized social network during a time span and containing a reference to a financial market instrument, wherein the determining the number of electronic messages comprises;

in addition to determining whether each electronic message contains a reference to the financial market instrument, determining whether to include each electronic message in the number of electronic messages by filtering, using at least one filter, each electronic message of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network, the filtering comprising;

ignoring each electronic message from a source where the number of electronic messages from the source during a time period exceeds a threshold number;

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a time span message average using the determined number of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the time span that contain the reference to the financial market instrument, wherein determining the time span message average comprises;

determining the time span average using a ratio of the determined number of electronic messages over a number of time intervals into which the time span is divided;

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a message count for a selected time interval of the number of time intervals in the time span, wherein the selected time interval'"'"'s message count indicates the number of the electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the selected time interval that contain the reference to the financial market instrument;

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a percentage change in the number of electronic messages that contain the reference to the financial market instrument, wherein determining the percentage change in the number of electronic messages comprises;

determining the percentage change in the number of electronic messages using a ratio of the selected time interval'"'"'s message count over the time span message average; and

serving logic executed by the processor for serving, over an electronic communications network to one or more user computing devices, a web page of a web provider, wherein the web page of the financial website provider comprises;

displaying, via a first portion of the webpage, the financial market instruction reference and the percentage change in the number of electronic messages containing the reference to the financial market instrument,

wherein the serving causing the web page to be displayed on a display of each of the one or more user computing devices, and

wherein the financial market instrument reference in the first portion of the web page is selectable by a user to view one or more of the determined number of electronic messages that contain the reference to the financial market instrument.

10. The system of claim 9, the stored program logic further comprising:

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a plurality of percentage changes in the number of electronic messages, each percentage change in the number of electronic messages corresponding to a financial instrument of a plurality of financial instruments;

comparing logic executed by the processor for comparing the plurality of percentage changes in the number of electronic messages determined for the plurality of financial market instruments, the comparing selecting a set of financial market instruments, each of the selected financial market instruments having a greater percentage change in the number of electronic messages than unselected ones of the plurality of financial market instruments; and

serving logic executed by the processor for serving, over the electronic communications network to the one or more user computing devices, the web page comprising the financial market instrument reference of each of the selected financial market instruments and the percentage change in the number of electronic messages referencing each of the selected financial market instruments the serving causing the web page to be displayed on the display of each of the one or more user computing devices.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the time span message average is a ratio of the determined number of electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the time span that contain the financial market instrument reference and a number representing the one or more time intervals into which the time span is divided, the one or more time intervals comprising the selected time interval.

12. The system of claim 9, the stored program logic further comprising:

determining logic executed by the one or more processors for determining, for the financial market instrument, a sentiment weighting using the electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the selected time interval and containing the reference to the financial market instrument, the determining comprising using a textual analyzer to analyze message content.

13. The system of claim 12, the stored program logic further comprising:

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a trend in the number of references to the financial market instrument in the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages and the determined sentiment weighting.

14. The system of claim 12, determining a percentage change in the number of electronic messages further comprising:

determining logic executed by the processor for determining the percentage change in the number of electronic messages as a weighted percentage change in the number of electronic messages for the financial market instrument using the selected time interval'"'"'s message count, the time span message average and the sentiment weighting determined for the financial market instrument.

15. The system of claim 12, the stored program logic further comprising:

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a pricing associated with the financial market instrument using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages and sentiment weighting determined for the financial market instrument.

16. The system of claim 9, the stored program logic further comprising:

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a pricing associated with the financial market instrument using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages determined for the financial market instrument.

17. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium for storing thereon computer-readable instructions that when executed by a server of the financial website provider, perform functions comprising:

determining a number of electronic messages of a plurality of electronic messages posted to a at least one computerized social network during a time span and containing a reference to a financial market instrument, the at least one computerized social network including at least one social networking web service, wherein the determining the number of electronic messages comprises;

in addition to determining whether each electronic message contains a reference to the financial market instrument, determining whether to include each electronic message in the number of electronic messages by filtering, using at least one filter, each electronic message of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network, the filtering comprising;

ignoring each electronic message from a source where the number of electronic messages from the source during a time period exceeds a threshold number;

determining a time span message average using the determined number of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the time span that reference the financial market instrument, wherein determining the time span message average comprises;

determining the time span message average using a ratio of the determined number of electronic messages over a number of time intervals into which the time span is divided;

determining a message count for a selected time interval of the number of time intervals in the time span, wherein the selected time interval'"'"'s message count indicates the number of the electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the selected time interval that reference the financial market instrument;

determining a percentage change in the number of electronic messages that contain the reference to the financial market instrument, wherein determining the percentage change in the number of electronic messages comprises;

determining the percentage change in the number of electronic messages using a ratio of the selected time interval'"'"'s message count over the time span message average; and

serving, over an electronic communications network to one or more user computing devices, a web page of a web provider, wherein the web page of the financial website provider comprises;

displaying, via a first portion of the webpage, the financial market instruction reference and the percentage change in the number of electronic messages containing the reference to the financial market instrument,

wherein the serving causing the web page to be displayed on a display of each of the one or more user computing devices, and

wherein the financial market instrument reference in the first portion of the web page is selectable by a user to view one or more of the determined number of electronic messages that contain the reference to the financial market instrument.

18. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a plurality of percentage changes in the number of electronic messages, each percentage change in the number of electronic messages corresponding to a financial instrument of a plurality of financial instruments;

comparing a plurality of percentage changes in the number of electronic messages determined for the plurality of financial market instruments, the comparing selecting a set of financial market instruments, each of the selected financial market instruments having a greater percentage change in the number of electronic messages than unselected ones of the plurality of financial market instruments; and

serving, over the electronic communications network to the one or more user computing devices, the web page comprising the financial market instrument reference of each of the selected financial market instruments and the percentage change in the number of electronic messages determined for each of the selected financial market instruments, the serving causing the web page to be displayed on a display of each of the one or more user computing devices.

19. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, wherein the time span message average is a ratio of the determined number of electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the time span that contain the financial market instrument reference and a number representing the one or more time intervals into which the time span is divided, the one or more time intervals comprising the selected time interval.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

determining, for the financial market instrument, a sentiment weighting using the electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network during the selected time interval and containing the reference to the financial market instrument, the determining comprising using a textual analyzer to analyze message content.

21. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

determining a trend in the number of references to the financial market instrument in the plurality of electronic messages posted to the at least one computerized social network using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages and the determined sentiment weighting.

22. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 20, determining a percentage change in the number of electronic messages further comprising:

determining the percentage change as a weighted percentage change in the number of electronic messages for the financial market instrument using the selected time interval'"'"'s message count, the time span message average and the sentiment weighting determined for the financial market instrument.

23. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

determining a pricing associated with the financial market instrument using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages and sentiment weighting determined for the financial market instrument.

24. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a pricing associated with the financial market instrument using the percentage change in the number of electronic messages determined for the financial market instrument.