Specialist manipulation: to what extent?

[Option Trader]

QQQQ at $44.00 is actually what prompted this thread.

E.g., if 90% of traders were bearish, but the specialist wants to unload his stuff, does he have enough ideas up his sleeve to keep the price up?

 

[RiceRocket]

qqqq is a nasdaq stock, there's no specialist only market makers.

 

[USAtrader]

...and is not controlled by mm's either.

 

[Option Trader]

Thanks for the info.

As per the thread, I didn't mean QQQQ as much as I meant specialist.

 

[ACM Trader]

It is my understanding that QQQQ, as an ETF, is not a stock per se. It moves up or down only according to the moves of the 100 stocks this ETF is made of.

 

[Option Trader]

I am remembering better now, as I had once checked into this.
My understanding is that hypothetically it's a free agent, only there are arbitragers who do or would fill the gaps if there is a deviation.

In reality, the QQQQ isssue is moot, because a specialist (or actually MM) is the one who controls the underlying.