Quote from TheBlackHand:
I do not need to try cigarettes to understand they will be detrimental to my well being.
Indeed I have noticed the phenomena you mention. However I would disagree they are a cause of HFT. They are a cause of the psychology of participants of which we are all familiar with.
If it helps, my experience of HFT in the industry is that it is mostly used as an execution method than in a strategy per se. GetCo, Brevan Howard et al. tend to employ traditional traders and convert their ideas in to a HFT platform. The trader then monitors the strategy. Indeed many prime brokers also offer a variety of HFT algo's for execution of large buy-side flow.
The only HFT strategies that tend to used as a strategy in it's own right are market making and statistical arbitrage. Irene Aldridge has written extensively on the subject, and I'd highly recommend her texts should you have time.
The bottom line is that far too many people are 'scared' of HFT. It is becoming the scape goat of too many. It would seem the authors of this software are cashing in on this fear, uncertainty and doubt.
Just my opinion of course.
Latency arb is huge for these guys, and often results in turning points in the market in my opinion. I suggest reading Broken Markets.