Some long term investors are placing passive orders to squeeze out an extra penny on their investments. I.e., they are running a strategy that's a mix of long term speculation and market making.
Unfortunately for them (but fortunately for the purchasers of liquidity), they are getting crowded out of the liquidity selling market by people who focus solely on selling liquidity.
This is a hypothesis, but the answer is probably something like: Lots of people want to demonize free markets, and HFTs are particularly easy to demonize because it's hard to see how they add value (although they do), but easy to see that they are ethically self-interested (which people also unjustly demonize).
My recommendation to HFTs to counter this would be (a) do a better job explaining the mechanics of how you're providing a valuable service; (b) do a better job supporting capitalism in general, on a moral level, in the public sphere of debate. Otherwise, you're gonna have to pack up shop and move to a more free country pretty soon (if there is one).
Comments
I don't get it.
Some long term investors are placing passive orders to squeeze out an extra penny on their investments. I.e., they are running a strategy that's a mix of long term speculation and market making.
Unfortunately for them (but fortunately for the purchasers of liquidity), they are getting crowded out of the liquidity selling market by people who focus solely on selling liquidity.
What's the problem here?
What's the problem here?
This is a hypothesis, but the answer is probably something like: Lots of people want to demonize free markets, and HFTs are particularly easy to demonize because it's hard to see how they add value (although they do), but easy to see that they are ethically self-interested (which people also unjustly demonize).
My recommendation to HFTs to counter this would be (a) do a better job explaining the mechanics of how you're providing a valuable service; (b) do a better job supporting capitalism in general, on a moral level, in the public sphere of debate. Otherwise, you're gonna have to pack up shop and move to a more free country pretty soon (if there is one).
My recommendation to HFTs to counter this would be (a) do a better job explaining the mechanics of how you're providing a valuable service;
Shameless plug:
http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2012/hft_apology.html
http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2012/hft_apology2.html
http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2012/hft_whats_broken.html