4 ms·

Sports don’t need to exist either. For programmers obsessed with speed and never ending optimization to get the extra edge, HFT is the ultimate sport.

by xwdv 3y ago

cosmojg 3y ago
I prefer sports with fewer negative externalities, and I certainly believe trading can continue to be fun with a slower tick rate. Heck, the additional skill required to succeed in a more efficient market should make the sport of trading even more fun!
- qeternity 3y ago
  The additional skill is the speed. It’s just a skill you and I don’t possess. It’s like saying there should be a height limit and basketball and that should make it more fun for really tall players who now have an extra challenge. It just benefits shorter players, or slower in this case.
  - AlbertCory 3y ago
    No, it isn't. Extremely tall players have not dominated in basketball. Steph Curry is only 6' 4", while Manute Bol (7' 7") was successful but not a GOAT. Secondly, basketball has all kinds of rules to even the competition, e.g. zone defenses, shot clocks, etc. Baseball has umpires checking pitchers' hands for sticky substances. Rules are a part of fair competition.
    - xwdv 3y ago
      Regardless, the point still stands. The sport is ruined if you put limits on how skilled players are allowed to be. HFT is only for the best and fastest of programmers backed by the best resources. Elites.
      - AlbertCory 3y ago
        No, it doesn't. Cheating is not skill. Anymore than having Spider Tack on your hand is "skill" for a baseball pitcher. http://www.spidertack.com/ http://www.spidertack.com/
    - qeternity 3y ago
      6’4 is extremely tall. That’s my point.
      - AlbertCory 3y ago
        Your point is what -- being average height among basketball players is good, somehow?
  - cosmojg 3y ago
    The NBA bans the use of steroids. One could argue that this regulation benefits only those unable or unwilling to risk their health for the sake of competition, or one could argue that focusing on traditional athleticism, whether through practice or genetics, makes for a more fun and entertaining game while facilitating the overall welfare of participants. Unlike basketball, the stock market happens to be a game with extraordinarily significant consequences, not just for players but for society at large, and it just so happens that society has a lot more to gain from a stock market where traders spend less time competing on speed of execution and more time competing on quality of information. Similarly, there exist many valuable alternative use cases for the real estate, electromagnetic spectrum, and other fixed-supply resources consumed by HFT that would likely contribute more to overall human welfare. No matter how you spin it, better rules make for a better game.

Sports don’t need to exist either. For programmers obsessed with speed and never ending optimization to get the extra edge, HFT is the ultimate sport.

by xwdv 3y ago

Sports don’t need to exist either. For programmers obsessed with speed and never ending optimization to get the extra edge, HFT is the ultimate sport.

cosmojg 3y ago

I prefer sports with fewer negative externalities, and I certainly believe trading can continue to be fun with a slower tick rate. Heck, the additional skill required to succeed in a more efficient market should make the sport of trading even more fun!

qeternity 3y ago
The additional skill is the speed. It’s just a skill you and I don’t possess. It’s like saying there should be a height limit and basketball and that should make it more fun for really tall players who now have an extra challenge. It just benefits shorter players, or slower in this case.
- AlbertCory 3y ago
  No, it isn't. Extremely tall players have not dominated in basketball. Steph Curry is only 6' 4", while Manute Bol (7' 7") was successful but not a GOAT. Secondly, basketball has all kinds of rules to even the competition, e.g. zone defenses, shot clocks, etc. Baseball has umpires checking pitchers' hands for sticky substances. Rules are a part of fair competition.
  - xwdv 3y ago
    Regardless, the point still stands. The sport is ruined if you put limits on how skilled players are allowed to be. HFT is only for the best and fastest of programmers backed by the best resources. Elites.
    - AlbertCory 3y ago
      No, it doesn't. Cheating is not skill. Anymore than having Spider Tack on your hand is "skill" for a baseball pitcher. http://www.spidertack.com/ http://www.spidertack.com/
  - qeternity 3y ago
    6’4 is extremely tall. That’s my point.
    - AlbertCory 3y ago
      Your point is what -- being average height among basketball players is good, somehow?
- cosmojg 3y ago
  The NBA bans the use of steroids. One could argue that this regulation benefits only those unable or unwilling to risk their health for the sake of competition, or one could argue that focusing on traditional athleticism, whether through practice or genetics, makes for a more fun and entertaining game while facilitating the overall welfare of participants. Unlike basketball, the stock market happens to be a game with extraordinarily significant consequences, not just for players but for society at large, and it just so happens that society has a lot more to gain from a stock market where traders spend less time competing on speed of execution and more time competing on quality of information. Similarly, there exist many valuable alternative use cases for the real estate, electromagnetic spectrum, and other fixed-supply resources consumed by HFT that would likely contribute more to overall human welfare. No matter how you spin it, better rules make for a better game.