HFT Myths

baglunch · Mar 21, 2014

I feel like this would be rare because the risk of litigation is high and in the worst case you could face prison time.

At least in my own experience, we rent whole cages. Also some exchange colos do not let you or your own remote hands to enter the site, in some cases you must use the data center's staff to install new hardware.

One odd thing I saw when I was visiting one prop firm's office was that they literally padlocked a gate in front of the elevator after closing up for the day. I guess this was so that no one could break in overnight.

maxima120 · Mar 22, 2014

baglunch said:
One odd thing I saw when I was visiting one prop firm's office was that they literally padlocked a gate in front of the elevator after closing up for the day. I guess this was so that no one could break in overnight.

I wonder how did you manage to see that? were you visiting at the middle of the night?

baglunch · Mar 22, 2014

Just meeting a friend after work.

Most of the theft you hear about is some ex trader or quant stealing code and trying to take it to their new job.

maxima120 · Mar 22, 2014

baglunch said:
you hear about

those are key words

baglunch · Mar 22, 2014

This is very true, the bad thieves are caught printing code and copying files, the good thieves memorize code and steal ideas but call it "work experience".

stock777 · Mar 31, 2014

the question is, what will hft scum do when the game is shut down

1) mug little old ladies

2) sell herbalife products

3) kill themselves

Vote here ___

pedro01 · Mar 31, 2014

stock777 said:
the question is, what will hft scum do when the game is shut down

1) mug little old ladies

2) sell herbalife products

3) kill themselves

Vote here ___

I am sure that there's long term investors that though those pesky day traders were scum.

And yet, here we still are.

HTF does not implicitly mean cheating, although no doubt some firms push the boundaries.

I think you are in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater,

Lights · Mar 31, 2014

pedro01 said:
I am sure that there's long term investors that though those pesky day traders were scum.

And yet, here we still are.

HTF does not implicitly mean cheating, although no doubt some firms push the boundaries.

I think you are in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater,

Yes. HFT's are just daytraders in form of algorithms. Ethics is relative in this thing called capital markets. Rules will change, but intraday liquidity (HFT's, MM's, daytraders) will never go away, obviously.

austinp · Mar 31, 2014

Lights said:
Yes. HFT's are just daytraders in form of algorithms. Ethics is relative in this thing called capital markets.

Big difference... HFTs are liquidity-sucking leaches that can only exist by front-running orders thru various tactics used. They create no liquidity, they contribute nothing. Just parasitic drains on the markets. The "liquidity" HFTs supposedly create is an illusion and outright sham.

Any HFT that experienced 1200+ profitable days and 1 losing day are parasitic thieves and nothing more. Legal or otherwise is merely semantics of existing law.

Day traders who operate inside the actual order flow serve to create liquidity. Participation = contribution to greater liquidity instead of parasitic = net drain of liquidity.

maxima120 · Mar 31, 2014

Dont feed the troll. He is repeating same jokes for ages. He isnt seeking an honest discussion.. Just another internet troll. Replying you only chance to bloat this thread to something unreadable (perhaps its his objective)..