{"data":{"id":17185,"title":"Portfolio: Trade and Development Division","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/17185-Portfolio-Trade-And-Development-Division","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/17185","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/17185","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Portfolio","images":[{"id":16847,"name":"24-TDD_View01_Arcorp_variation_01.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/lz8590outc7q0r\/source\/24-TDD_View01_Arcorp_variation_01.jpg","alt":"","size":1493332,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2015-02-28T21:46:15+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/16847","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/16847\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"}],"images_count":7,"translations":{"en_EN":"This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 5.7.\nThere has been one constant throughout the history of the Empire, one that has managed to weather political changes, military actions and even interspecies wars \u2014 the sale and acquisition of commodities. It was the search for these basic raw resources and primary products that first sent explorers to the stars, and in many ways, it is what fuels the expansion of Humanity throughout the universe even today.\n\nEvery new jump point discovered, every new system uncovered, every new asteroid scan completed has the potential to unveil new sources of commodities that are vital to the continuing growth and development of Humanity, so it should come as no surprise that commodity trading comprises a significant portion of the UEE\u2019s total economy. With the commodity market being of such vital importance, the government agency responsible for this has become near ubiquitous in every system of the Empire. Dating as far back as the United Nations of Earth (UNE), the Trade & Development Division supervises this staggeringly complex flow of commerce and has grown to one of largest government employers outside of the military. But many may wonder: how could such an important economic regulatory body come to be a branch of the otherwise small Customs Bureau?\n\nIn With the Good, Out With the Bad\nBy 2380, the Croshaw system had been terraformed and the first settlements outside of Sol system had taken hold. Unfortunately, as Humanity\u2019s frontier expanded in the following decades, so too did its lawlessness. With entire new solar systems for pirates to hide in, Sol found itself on the receiving end of an overwhelming influx of contraband. Outlawed weapons and substances that had been close to eradication came flooding back in force now that criminals could hide their operations with relative ease in remote extra-system outposts. Major urban areas on Mars and Earth faced escalating violent crimes and a rampant drug epidemic that decimated several communities. When attempts to curtail the dire situation via more traditional policing methods failed to stymie the growing problem, the UNE ordered the Navy to establish strict checkpoints at both jump entrances leading to Sol.\n\nWithin the first months of the operation, hundreds of tonnes of contraband were seized and dozens arrested. However, despite this initial success in stemming the tide of illegal goods making their way into Sol, there were many detractors. Vehement protest came from almost every major financial sector, arguing that while the heavy patrols were netting smugglers, the searches also slowed down the regular civilian transports and haulers, strangling the flow of commerce. At the same time, civil rights groups were quick to decry the draconian measures used by the Navy in forcing vehicles to comply with the scans and searches. In one incident, heavily reported at the time, a team of researchers were forcefully subdued and dragged off their ship when they refused to open scan-resistant containers that carried light-sensitive material. And this was far from the only such reported case of routine stops escalating to violence. Many argued that a Navy trained for warfare with an enemy force was not the ideal candidate for dealing with the civilian population in this capacity.\n\nIt would all come to a head when one of the members of Intersystem Haulers United was incarcerated in a Naval prison for impeding a search. A massive strike caused the majority of jump point traffic to slow to a crawl. At the end of a week of negotiations, it was announced that control of the checkpoints would be handed off to a new government office, the Customs Bureau.\n\nStaffed by civilian employees, it proved to be a valid compromise between security and commerce. A program was established for expedited crossings for ships with a proven track record, and complex algorithms used to intelligently select ships for more in-depth searches reduced wait times while still keeping a firm check on contraband. At the start, the Bureau may have been mostly concerned about ship traffic inbound to Sol, but after first contact with the Banu in 2438, they greatly increased their scope. Wary of what Banu ships might be carrying within their haulers, the Customs Bureau spread throughout UNE-controlled space, establishing dozens of additional checkpoints along major traffic lanes. It was this far-reaching infrastructure that positioned the Bureau to take on an even greater responsibility.\n\nFair Trade\nAs miners and harvesters rushed to farm resources from newly discovered worlds, it was only a matter of time before commodity markets would be established. When dealing with minerals, gases and grains, there is often little difference between a commodity coming from one source and the same commodity from another. This meant that rather than manufacturers purchasing what they needed from dozens of smaller operations spread across multiple systems, they could use a single marketplace to simplify and standardize their trade contracts. In addition, the financial risk of collecting the resources could be potentially mitigated through the use of futures contracts to gather funding for their operations by pre-selling commodities at an agreed-upon price in advance of the actual procurement of the materials. It was a proven formula that had worked for centuries in Sol, but few were ready for the complications that data decay would bring.\n\nThese commodity markets swelled rapidly during their initial years of operation and it wasn\u2019t long before opportunists began trying to take advantage of nascent institutions. With the deals being struck based on knowing how much of a certain commodity was in production at any given time, there were numerous cases of manipulation. Waylaying a courier or drone even for a few minutes could result in huge financial gains. Other investors would make contracts and then work behind the scenes to ensure that the seller was unable to fill the order, triggering forfeiture payments. In 2461, the price of millet was driven to a record high briefly when falsified information was delivered to the Angeli Mercantile Exchange. As a direct result, the markets fell into chaos, and the UNE had no choice but to step in to avoid a total market crash.\n\nThe solution would once more prove to be the recently created Customs Bureau. With their detailed scans of vessels transporting cargo, they were the government agency with the most accurate picture of what commodities were being transported at any given time. The Customs Bureau created the Trade & Development Division (TDD) in 2463 to collect and collate commodity market information for distribution to all the major exchanges. Utilizing the information already being stored by the Bureau as a starting point, the TDD included production constraints, environmental factors, current market demand, and more in their analytics. At first these official numbers were enough to stabilize the market, but soon the office began to field requests to authenticate deals to verify that they matched current data. In just a decade, it came to be that many traders would not do a deal unless it was TDD bonded. From there, it was only a short step for them to act in receivership on future contracts, regulating storage and delivery. By the turn of the 26th century, almost the entirety of commodity brokering was done through the TDD.\n\nFurther Developments\nToday, there are TDD offices in almost all ports and hubs throughout the Empire . Every second, tens of thousands of commodities traders are selling and buying mind-bogglingly huge sums of raw resources. Though it is still a part of the Customs Bureau, the TDD overshadows the rest of its parent organization in size and funding, and has become a symbol of the Empire\u2019s wealth and power. For almost five centuries, TDD has been choreographing a complicated financial ballet that manages staggeringly complex price calculations, factoring reports and estimates from all over the UEE.\n\nWhile not perfect \u2014 remember the outlaw tampering at the Reis TDD in 2945 that used false high prices to lure in targets, or the recent double-down glitch in Bremen that saw millions of chickens sold twice as recent examples \u2014 overall the TDD has an impressive track record. While some traders prefer to use the smaller, more variable independent markets, it is the consistency of the TDD that has made it trusted for so long. As the organization nears its quincentenary, it continues to strive to improve price indexing and minimize information lag with ever-more advanced comm drone networks. And with the recent passing of the Human-Xi\u2019an Trade Initiative, the TDD is bracing itself to embark on a new chapter as it works closely with our Xi\u2019an neighbors on the formation of an inter-species commission. In other words, where commodity trading is concerned, the future of the TDD is looking stronger than ever.","de_DE":"Dieses Portfolio erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 5.7.\nEs gab eine Konstante in der Geschichte des Imperiums, die es geschafft hat, politische Ver\u00e4nderungen, milit\u00e4rische Aktionen und sogar Kriege zwischen den Arten zu \u00fcberstehen - den Verkauf und den Erwerb von Waren. Es war die Suche nach diesen grundlegenden Rohstoffen und Prim\u00e4rprodukten, die zuerst Forscher zu den Sternen schickte, und in vielerlei Hinsicht ist es das, was die Expansion der Menschheit im ganzen Universum bis heute antreibt.\n\nJeder neue Sprungbrett, der entdeckt, jedes neue System aufgedeckt, jeder neue Asteroidenscan hat das Potenzial, neue Rohstoffquellen zu erschlie\u00dfen, die f\u00fcr das weitere Wachstum und die Entwicklung der Menschheit von entscheidender Bedeutung sind, so dass es nicht verwunderlich sein sollte, dass der Rohstoffhandel einen erheblichen Teil der Gesamtwirtschaft der UEE ausmacht. Da der Rohstoffmarkt von so entscheidender Bedeutung ist, ist die daf\u00fcr zust\u00e4ndige Regierungsbeh\u00f6rde in jedem System des Imperiums fast allgegenw\u00e4rtig geworden. Die Trade & Development Division, die bereits seit den Vereinten Nationen der Erde (UNE) besteht, \u00fcberwacht diesen erstaunlich komplexen Handelsfluss und hat sich zu einem der gr\u00f6\u00dften Arbeitgeber der Regierung au\u00dferhalb des Milit\u00e4rs entwickelt. Aber viele werden sich fragen: Wie konnte eine so wichtige Wirtschaftsregulierungsbeh\u00f6rde zu einem Zweig des ansonsten kleinen Zollamtes werden?\n\nRein mit dem Guten, raus mit dem Schlechten, raus mit dem Schlechten\nBis 2380 war das Croshaw-System terraf\u00f6rmig angelegt und die ersten Siedlungen au\u00dferhalb des Sol-Systems hatten sich etabliert. Mit der Erweiterung der Grenzen der Menschheit in den folgenden Jahrzehnten wuchs leider auch ihre Gesetzlosigkeit. Mit v\u00f6llig neuen Sonnensystemen, in denen sich Piraten verstecken konnten, befand sich Sol auf der Empf\u00e4ngerseite eines \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigenden Zustroms von Schmuggelware. Ge\u00e4chtete Waffen und Substanzen, die kurz vor der Ausrottung standen, wurden wieder in Kraft gesetzt, nachdem Kriminelle ihre Operationen mit relativer Leichtigkeit in entfernten Au\u00dfenstellen des Extra-Systems verstecken konnten. Gro\u00dfe st\u00e4dtische Gebiete auf Mars und Erde sahen sich mit eskalierenden Gewaltverbrechen und einer grassierenden Drogenepidemie konfrontiert, die mehrere Gemeinschaften dezimierte. Als Versuche, die katastrophale Situation durch traditionellere Polizeimethoden zu begrenzen, das wachsende Problem nicht in den Griff bekamen, befahl die UNE der Marine, strenge Kontrollpunkte an beiden Sprungt\u00fcren einzurichten, die zu Sol f\u00fchrten.\n\nIn den ersten Monaten der Operation wurden Hunderte von Tonnen Schmuggelware sichergestellt und Dutzende verhaftet. Trotz dieses ersten Erfolgs bei der Eind\u00e4mmung der Flut illegaler Waren, die ihren Weg nach Sol fanden, gab es jedoch viele Kritiker. Heftige Proteste kamen aus fast allen gro\u00dfen Finanzsektoren und argumentierten, dass die schweren Patrouillen zwar Schmuggler vernetzten, die Durchsuchungen aber auch die regul\u00e4ren zivilen Transporte und Schlepper verlangsamten und den Handelsfluss erstickten. Gleichzeitig haben B\u00fcrgerrechtsgruppen die drakonischen Ma\u00dfnahmen der Marine, mit denen die Fahrzeuge gezwungen wurden, sich an die Scans und Durchsuchungen zu halten, schnell kritisiert. In einem damals stark berichteten Vorfall wurde ein Forscherteam gewaltsam unterworfen und vom Schiff geschleppt, als es sich weigerte, scanresistente Container mit lichtempfindlichem Material zu \u00f6ffnen. Und das war bei weitem nicht der einzige gemeldete Fall von routinem\u00e4\u00dfigen Stopps, die zu Gewalt eskalierten. Viele argumentierten, dass eine f\u00fcr die Kriegsf\u00fchrung mit einer feindlichen Truppe ausgebildete Marine nicht der ideale Kandidat f\u00fcr den Umgang mit der Zivilbev\u00f6lkerung in dieser Funktion sei.\n\nEs w\u00fcrde sich alles zuspitzen, wenn eines der Mitglieder von Intersystem Haulers United in einem Marine-Gef\u00e4ngnis eingesperrt wurde, weil es eine Durchsuchung behindert hatte. Ein massiver Schlag lie\u00df den Gro\u00dfteil des Jump-Point-Verkehrs zu einem Crawling verlangsamen. Am Ende einer Verhandlungswoche wurde angek\u00fcndigt, dass die Kontrolle der Kontrollpunkte an ein neues Regierungsb\u00fcro, das Zollamt, \u00fcbergeben wird.\n\nMit zivilen Mitarbeitern erwies es sich als g\u00fcltiger Kompromiss zwischen Sicherheit und Handel. Ein Programm f\u00fcr beschleunigte \u00dcberfahrten von Schiffen mit nachgewiesener Erfolgsbilanz wurde eingerichtet, und komplexe Algorithmen zur intelligenten Auswahl von Schiffen f\u00fcr vertiefte Durchsuchungen verk\u00fcrzten die Wartezeiten und hielten gleichzeitig den Schmuggel fest. Zu Beginn mag das Bureau vor allem \u00fcber den Schiffsverkehr nach Sol besorgt gewesen sein, aber nach dem ersten Kontakt mit der Banu im Jahr 2438 haben sie ihren Umfang stark erweitert. Vorsichtig gegen\u00fcber dem, was Banu-Schiffe in ihren Schleppern transportieren, verteilte sich das Zollamt auf den von der UNE kontrollierten Raum und richtete Dutzende von zus\u00e4tzlichen Kontrollpunkten entlang der Hauptverkehrsstra\u00dfen ein. Es war diese weitreichende Infrastruktur, die das Pr\u00e4sidium in die Lage versetzte, eine noch gr\u00f6\u00dfere Verantwortung zu \u00fcbernehmen.\n\nFairer Handel\nAls Bergleute und Erntemaschinen zu den landwirtschaftlichen Ressourcen aus neu entdeckten Welten eilten, war es nur eine Frage der Zeit, bis Rohstoffm\u00e4rkte entstehen w\u00fcrden. Beim Umgang mit Mineralien, Gasen und Getreide gibt es oft nur einen geringen Unterschied zwischen einer Ware aus einer Quelle und derselben Ware aus einer anderen. Dies bedeutete, dass die Hersteller nicht von Dutzenden kleinerer Betriebe, die \u00fcber mehrere Systeme verteilt sind, das, was sie ben\u00f6tigen, beziehen, sondern einen einheitlichen Marktplatz nutzen konnten, um ihre Handelsvertr\u00e4ge zu vereinfachen und zu standardisieren. Dar\u00fcber hinaus k\u00f6nnte das finanzielle Risiko der Einziehung der Ressourcen potenziell gemindert werden, indem durch den Einsatz von Terminkontrakten Mittel f\u00fcr ihre Gesch\u00e4ftst\u00e4tigkeit gesammelt werden, indem Rohstoffe vor der eigentlichen Beschaffung der Materialien zu einem vereinbarten Preis verkauft werden. Es war eine bew\u00e4hrte Formel, die jahrhundertelang in Sol funktioniert hatte, aber nur wenige waren bereit f\u00fcr die Komplikationen, die der Datenzerfall mit sich bringen w\u00fcrde.\n\nDiese Rohstoffm\u00e4rkte schwoll in den ersten Jahren ihrer T\u00e4tigkeit rapide an, und es dauerte nicht lange, bis Opportunisten begannen, die Vorteile der entstehenden Institutionen zu nutzen. Da die Gesch\u00e4fte auf der Grundlage des Wissens abgeschlossen wurden, wie viel von einem bestimmten Gut zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt in der Produktion war, gab es zahlreiche F\u00e4lle von Manipulationen. Das Auflauern eines Kuriers oder einer Drohne auch nur f\u00fcr ein paar Minuten kann zu enormen finanziellen Gewinnen f\u00fchren. Andere Investoren schlossen Vertr\u00e4ge und arbeiteten dann hinter den Kulissen, um sicherzustellen, dass der Verk\u00e4ufer den Auftrag nicht ausf\u00fchren konnte, was zu Verfallszahlungen f\u00fchrte. Im Jahr 2461 wurde der Preis f\u00fcr Hirse kurzzeitig auf ein Rekordhoch getrieben, als gef\u00e4lschte Informationen an die Angeli Mercantile Exchange geliefert wurden. Als direkte Folge davon fielen die M\u00e4rkte in ein Chaos, und die UNE hatte keine andere Wahl, als einzugreifen, um einen totalen Marktcrash zu vermeiden.\n\nDie L\u00f6sung w\u00fcrde sich einmal mehr als das k\u00fcrzlich eingerichtete Zollamt erweisen. Mit ihren detaillierten Scans der Schiffe, die Fracht transportieren, waren sie die Regierungsbeh\u00f6rde mit dem genauesten Bild davon, welche G\u00fcter zu welchem Zeitpunkt transportiert wurden. Das Zollamt gr\u00fcndete 2463 die Trade & Development Division (TDD), um Rohstoffmarktinformationen f\u00fcr den Vertrieb an alle wichtigen B\u00f6rsen zu sammeln und zu sammeln. Unter Verwendung der Informationen, die bereits vom B\u00fcro gespeichert wurden, nahm die TDD Produktionszw\u00e4nge, Umweltfaktoren, aktuelle Marktnachfrage und mehr in ihre Analysen auf. Zuerst reichten diese offiziellen Zahlen aus, um den Markt zu stabilisieren, aber bald begann das B\u00fcro, Anfragen zur Authentifizierung von Gesch\u00e4ften zu stellen, um zu \u00fcberpr\u00fcfen, ob sie den aktuellen Daten entsprachen. In nur einem Jahrzehnt kam es dazu, dass viele H\u00e4ndler keine Gesch\u00e4fte abschlie\u00dfen w\u00fcrden, es sei denn, es handelt sich um TDD-Bonds. Von dort aus war es nur noch ein kurzer Schritt, um in der Zwangsverwaltung f\u00fcr zuk\u00fcnftige Vertr\u00e4ge zu handeln und die Lagerung und Lieferung zu regeln. Bis zur Wende des 26. Jahrhunderts wurde fast die gesamte Warenvermittlung \u00fcber die TDD abgewickelt.\n\nWeitere Entwicklungen\nHeute gibt es TDD-B\u00fcros in fast allen H\u00e4fen und Hubs im ganzen Reich. Jede Sekunde verkaufen und kaufen Zehntausende von Rohstoffh\u00e4ndlern unglaubliche Mengen an Rohstoffen. Obwohl es immer noch Teil des Zollb\u00fcros ist, \u00fcberschattet die TDD den Rest ihrer Mutterorganisation in Gr\u00f6\u00dfe und Finanzierung und ist zu einem Symbol f\u00fcr den Reichtum und die Macht des Imperiums geworden. Seit fast f\u00fcnf Jahrhunderten choreografiert TDD ein kompliziertes Finanzballett, das erstaunlich komplexe Preiskalkulationen, Factoring-Berichte und Sch\u00e4tzungen aus der gesamten UEE verwaltet.\n\nObwohl nicht perfekt - erinnern Sie sich an die verbotene Manipulation der Reis TDD im Jahr 2945, die falsche hohe Preise benutzte, um Ziele anzulocken, oder an die j\u00fcngste Double-Down-Pleite in Bremen, bei der Millionen von H\u00fchnern doppelt so viele Exemplare verkauft wurden - hat die TDD insgesamt eine beeindruckende Erfolgsbilanz. W\u00e4hrend einige H\u00e4ndler es vorziehen, die kleineren, variableren unabh\u00e4ngigen M\u00e4rkte zu nutzen, ist es die Konsistenz der TDD, die sie so lange Zeit vertraut hat. Da sich das Unternehmen seinem Jubil\u00e4um n\u00e4hert, ist es weiterhin bestrebt, die Preisindizierung zu verbessern und den Informationsverzug mit immer fortschrittlicheren Kommunikationsdrohnen-Netzwerken zu minimieren. Und mit dem j\u00fcngsten Verabschiedung der Human-Xi'an Trade Initiative bereitet sich die TDD darauf vor, ein neues Kapitel zu beginnen, da sie eng mit unseren Nachbarn in Xi'an bei der Bildung einer arten\u00fcbergreifenden Kommission zusammenarbeitet. Mit anderen Worten, wenn es um den Rohstoffhandel geht, sieht die Zukunft der TDD st\u00e4rker denn je aus.","zh_CN":"This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 5.7.\nThere has been one constant throughout the history of the Empire, one that has managed to weather political changes, military actions and even interspecies wars \u2014 the sale and acquisition of commodities. It was the search for these basic raw resources and primary products that first sent explorers to the stars, and in many ways, it is what fuels the expansion of Humanity throughout the universe even today.\n\nEvery new jump point discovered, every new system uncovered, every new asteroid scan completed has the potential to unveil new sources of commodities that are vital to the continuing growth and development of Humanity, so it should come as no surprise that commodity trading comprises a significant portion of the UEE\u2019s total economy. With the commodity market being of such vital importance, the government agency responsible for this has become near ubiquitous in every system of the Empire. Dating as far back as the United Nations of Earth (UNE), the Trade & Development Division supervises this staggeringly complex flow of commerce and has grown to one of largest government employers outside of the military. But many may wonder: how could such an important economic regulatory body come to be a branch of the otherwise small Customs Bureau?\n\nIn With the Good, Out With the Bad\nBy 2380, the Croshaw system had been terraformed and the first settlements outside of Sol system had taken hold. Unfortunately, as Humanity\u2019s frontier expanded in the following decades, so too did its lawlessness. With entire new solar systems for pirates to hide in, Sol found itself on the receiving end of an overwhelming influx of contraband. Outlawed weapons and substances that had been close to eradication came flooding back in force now that criminals could hide their operations with relative ease in remote extra-system outposts. Major urban areas on Mars and Earth faced escalating violent crimes and a rampant drug epidemic that decimated several communities. When attempts to curtail the dire situation via more traditional policing methods failed to stymie the growing problem, the UNE ordered the Navy to establish strict checkpoints at both jump entrances leading to Sol.\n\nWithin the first months of the operation, hundreds of tonnes of contraband were seized and dozens arrested. However, despite this initial success in stemming the tide of illegal goods making their way into Sol, there were many detractors. Vehement protest came from almost every major financial sector, arguing that while the heavy patrols were netting smugglers, the searches also slowed down the regular civilian transports and haulers, strangling the flow of commerce. At the same time, civil rights groups were quick to decry the draconian measures used by the Navy in forcing vehicles to comply with the scans and searches. In one incident, heavily reported at the time, a team of researchers were forcefully subdued and dragged off their ship when they refused to open scan-resistant containers that carried light-sensitive material. And this was far from the only such reported case of routine stops escalating to violence. Many argued that a Navy trained for warfare with an enemy force was not the ideal candidate for dealing with the civilian population in this capacity.\n\nIt would all come to a head when one of the members of Intersystem Haulers United was incarcerated in a Naval prison for impeding a search. A massive strike caused the majority of jump point traffic to slow to a crawl. At the end of a week of negotiations, it was announced that control of the checkpoints would be handed off to a new government office, the Customs Bureau.\n\nStaffed by civilian employees, it proved to be a valid compromise between security and commerce. A program was established for expedited crossings for ships with a proven track record, and complex algorithms used to intelligently select ships for more in-depth searches reduced wait times while still keeping a firm check on contraband. At the start, the Bureau may have been mostly concerned about ship traffic inbound to Sol, but after first contact with the Banu in 2438, they greatly increased their scope. Wary of what Banu ships might be carrying within their haulers, the Customs Bureau spread throughout UNE-controlled space, establishing dozens of additional checkpoints along major traffic lanes. It was this far-reaching infrastructure that positioned the Bureau to take on an even greater responsibility.\n\nFair Trade\nAs miners and harvesters rushed to farm resources from newly discovered worlds, it was only a matter of time before commodity markets would be established. When dealing with minerals, gases and grains, there is often little difference between a commodity coming from one source and the same commodity from another. This meant that rather than manufacturers purchasing what they needed from dozens of smaller operations spread across multiple systems, they could use a single marketplace to simplify and standardize their trade contracts. In addition, the financial risk of collecting the resources could be potentially mitigated through the use of futures contracts to gather funding for their operations by pre-selling commodities at an agreed-upon price in advance of the actual procurement of the materials. It was a proven formula that had worked for centuries in Sol, but few were ready for the complications that data decay would bring.\n\nThese commodity markets swelled rapidly during their initial years of operation and it wasn\u2019t long before opportunists began trying to take advantage of nascent institutions. With the deals being struck based on knowing how much of a certain commodity was in production at any given time, there were numerous cases of manipulation. Waylaying a courier or drone even for a few minutes could result in huge financial gains. Other investors would make contracts and then work behind the scenes to ensure that the seller was unable to fill the order, triggering forfeiture payments. In 2461, the price of millet was driven to a record high briefly when falsified information was delivered to the Angeli Mercantile Exchange. As a direct result, the markets fell into chaos, and the UNE had no choice but to step in to avoid a total market crash.\n\nThe solution would once more prove to be the recently created Customs Bureau. With their detailed scans of vessels transporting cargo, they were the government agency with the most accurate picture of what commodities were being transported at any given time. The Customs Bureau created the Trade & Development Division (TDD) in 2463 to collect and collate commodity market information for distribution to all the major exchanges. Utilizing the information already being stored by the Bureau as a starting point, the TDD included production constraints, environmental factors, current market demand, and more in their analytics. At first these official numbers were enough to stabilize the market, but soon the office began to field requests to authenticate deals to verify that they matched current data. In just a decade, it came to be that many traders would not do a deal unless it was TDD bonded. From there, it was only a short step for them to act in receivership on future contracts, regulating storage and delivery. By the turn of the 26th century, almost the entirety of commodity brokering was done through the TDD.\n\nFurther Developments\nToday, there are TDD offices in almost all ports and hubs throughout the Empire . Every second, tens of thousands of commodities traders are selling and buying mind-bogglingly huge sums of raw resources. Though it is still a part of the Customs Bureau, the TDD overshadows the rest of its parent organization in size and funding, and has become a symbol of the Empire\u2019s wealth and power. For almost five centuries, TDD has been choreographing a complicated financial ballet that manages staggeringly complex price calculations, factoring reports and estimates from all over the UEE.\n\nWhile not perfect \u2014 remember the outlaw tampering at the Reis TDD in 2945 that used false high prices to lure in targets, or the recent double-down glitch in Bremen that saw millions of chickens sold twice as recent examples \u2014 overall the TDD has an impressive track record. While some traders prefer to use the smaller, more variable independent markets, it is the consistency of the TDD that has made it trusted for so long. As the organization nears its quincentenary, it continues to strive to improve price indexing and minimize information lag with ever-more advanced comm drone networks. And with the recent passing of the Human-Xi\u2019an Trade Initiative, the TDD is bracing itself to embark on a new chapter as it works closely with our Xi\u2019an neighbors on the formation of an inter-species commission. In other words, where commodity trading is concerned, the future of the TDD is looking stronger than ever."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":21,"created_at":"2019-08-07T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"6 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 22:03:35","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":17184,"next_id":17187}}