I agree. Atomic clocks are an implementation detail, and also overkill (at least during this decade). I've worked in HFT (albeit in forex, not stocks), and the

I agree. Atomic clocks are an implementation detail, and also overkill (at least during this decade). I've worked in HFT (albeit in forex, not stocks), and there are always internal delays within the exchange that you cannot predict with anywhere near the accuracy of an atomic clock. (Well, if you could, then that would be a true innovation.) Hedge Funds don't patent strategies. They keep them as trade secrets. It would make more sense to me if this filing was part of an attempt to build a patent portfolio for defensive purposes, as tech companies do.