> Firstly, HFTs do not generate "massive profits". Not sure where that myth comes from From places like the Tabb Group? "According to research conducted by th

> Firstly, HFTs do not generate "massive profits". Not sure where that myth comes from From places like the Tabb Group? "According to research conducted by the Tabb Group, the top 5 High Frequency Trading (HFT) firms make an average of $2 billion a year in profits." > However, it'll quickly become an attractive business if you're doing millions of trades per day Attractive as in profitable? Honestly I don't know what you're trying to get at here. Yeah, their margin is small, and they make massive profits by replacing that with volume. Why is that a controversial claim? > this drives trading costs down for everyone else It really feels like you didn't even read my last comment. Okay, let's grant that they lower trading costs, while extracting many, many billions of dollars from the market. I have a great idea for a business. I'll lower the door charge at vegas casinos, in exchange for bumping the house edge up by a fraction of a percent. There you go, I have made it a lot cheaper for everyone to get in and participate in the craps market. I have offered a valuable service and am in no way a parasite. What's the difference between my business plan, and what you're describing?