Quote from metromotor:
I trade frequently as well, who is your broker? I am looking to try someone new when Schwab takes over my beloved Cybertrader.
I trade only around 800K shares a month so I don't qualify for the deep discount .
Some of the suggestions here so far are very good.. Averaging down or up starting with a micro position keeps you off of the radar. The MM's don't know who you are, but know good and well when everyone is trading 100 lots and an order is in for 500 or 1000 they have an opportunity.
The conspiracy theory is wrong in the way it it perceived. Yes there is some collusion to create head fakes, if there wasn't then it would be too damn easy to scalp large runs. If you have ever seen a huge order in a NYSE or AMEX stock of like 40k get eaten up very slowly and when it has dissolved the price does not run through it, it was likely some MM's selling to themselves to head fake a breakthrough.
How can MM's sell to themselves? it's easy... I have done it myself. I have sold myself shares in AH at 7:59 PM of a security I own 15% above the close price to synthetically give my account a closing value that carries my day trade margin 15% higher x 4 at the open. Your DTBP stays the same all day no matter fluctuations in net worth at many brokers, it comes from your net worth at the previous days close. Why would anyone do this? I did it just to see if it was possible. Did I break the law? Good question... Wait , who's knocking at my door .. it's the SEC ... ahhhh... LOL
Why do you think the market sometime runs up in the last half hour instead of ramping up all day? because the amount of capital it takes to run it up in the last half hour is 1/10 of what it takes to sustain it all day !!! get it? Now for the good part... hedge funds operate on 10:1 margin, so if they can inflate their position they can achieve what I did but 10x instead of 4x ... Since it is illegal for funds to manipulate price in extended hours or in the last several minutes of trading in some stocks they attempt this in the last hour at some point.
No conspiracies towards individuals really, only conspiracy to make their accounts look good on paper.. LOL