The Coming Stock Market Flash Crash
Shah Gilani
Market Oracle
Oct 15, 2012
According to high-frequency traders and their backers, the super-fast, computer-driven stock trading desks that employ HFT are a benefit to investors and exchanges here in the U.S. and wherever they ply their trades.
But that’s not true.
In fact, if you know exactly what high-frequency traders actually do and how they do it, you’ll know what the SEC hasn’t figured out, namely what caused the May 2010 Flash Crash.
You’ll also realize that it’s only a matter of time before these market manipulators cause a real catastrophic market crash.
Today I’ll talk about what HFT players do and how they do it. And tomorrow I’ll tell you how HFT could destroy our markets and economy.
What High-Frequency Traders Actually Do
High-frequency trading is fundamentally based on how market participants (for this discussion I’m talking about stock markets) place their orders to buy and sell shares and how HFT players act on those orders.
For every stock that’s traded there is always (or at least it used to be “always”) a “bid” and an “ask” price. Sometimes you’ll hear the term “offer” or “offered” price, those terms are interchangeable with the term “ask” or “asking price.”
The Rest…HERE
