Unlike the credit card case, these hedge funds are not affiliated with the companies whose stocks they are trading. In addition, the number of cars in a parking

Unlike the credit card case, these hedge funds are not affiliated with the companies whose stocks they are trading. In addition, the number of cars in a parking lot is not expected to be confidential. They are simply using available tools to make an observation, and using that observation to influence a trading decision. I see it as just a quantified and scaled up version of, say, noticing more Tesla cars on the street, and choosing to invest. I think making something like that illegal would only be harmful to the stock market and investors.