the.com/hft
Computers playing financial chess at light-speed, making millions in microseconds you can't see.
means High-frequency trading: using sophisticated algorithms and blazing-fast computers to execute thousands of trades per second, exploiting tiny price differences before human traders blink.
from Emerged in the 1980s as electronic exchanges replaced physical trading floors, then exploded after 2000 when fiber-optic cables and specialized hardware made microsecond advantages possible. The term crystallized around 2008-2009 when the practice became controversial.
speed advantageShaving 100 milliseconds off latency can mean hundreds of millions in profit annually
market shareHFT accounts for roughly 50-73% of all US equity trading volume today
infrastructure costFirms spend millions for server placement microseconds closer to exchanges
flash crash roleHFT algorithms amplified the 2010 May 6 market drop in minutes