Perhaps I have misunderstood what front running is, but I have always thought it is really only applicable when you have an obligation to your clients to give t

Perhaps I have misunderstood what front running is, but I have always thought it is really only applicable when you have an obligation to your clients to give them good execution. You can't front run a market, just your clients. An HFT has no clients on behalf of which they are executing trades, they are just trading for their own account.