Sunday, August 27, 2017

Weird materials inwards high frequency markets

On the left is a graph from a actually keen newspaper , "Low-Latency Trading" yesteryear Joel Hasbrouck together with Gideon Saar (2011). You're looking at the menses of "messages"--limit orders placed or canceled--on the NASDAQ.  The x axis is fourth dimension , modulo 10 seconds. So , you're looking at the typical menses of messages over whatever 10 instant fourth dimension interval.

As yous tin flaming regard , in that location is a big vanquish of messages on the exceed of the instant , which speedily tails off inwards the milliseconds next the fifty-fifty second. There is a instant surge betwixt 500 together with 600 milliseconds.

Evidently , lots of reckoner programs accomplish out together with expect at the markets 1 time per instant , or 1 time per one-half second. The programs clocks are tightly synchronized to the exchange's clock , so if yous programme a reckoner "go expect 1 time per instant ," it's probable to larn expect precisely on the instant (or one-half second). The lawsuit is a flurry of action on the fifty-fifty second.

 It's probable the even-second traders are what Joel together with Gideon telephone telephone "Agency traders." They're trying to purchase or sell a given quantity , simply spread it out to avoid cost impact. Their on-the-second action spawns a flurry of responses from the high frequency traders , whose computers monitor markets constantly.

There's a natural question: Is this an accident , or is in that location intentional "on the second" bunching? You tin flaming regard that a programmer who didn't shout upwards nearly it would banking concern check 1 time per instant , non realizing that way precisely on the exceed of the second. But sometimes in that location is to a greater extent than liquidity when nosotros all concord to run across at the same time. Volume has ever been higher at the opened upwards together with close.  Joel together with Gideon present the pattern lasted from 2007 to 2008 , so was non an obvious short-term programming bug.  (Do notice the vertical scale however. The arrive at is from ix to xiii , non 0 to 13.) I'd live curious to know if it's soundless going on.

Here's around other 1 , flora yesteryear 1 of my students on nanex.net here. (Teaching has many benefits when the students know to a greater extent than nearly markets than yous do!).


You're looking at bids , asks , together with (white dot) trades inwards the natural gas futures markets. From nanex:

On June 8 , 2011 , starting at 19:39 Eastern Time , merchandise prices began oscillating almost harmonically along amongst the depth of book. However , prices rose every bit bid were executed , together with prices declined when offers were executed .....price oscillates from depression to high when trades are executing against the highest bid cost level. After reaching a peak , prices together with so motion downward every bit trades execute against the highest enquire cost level. This is completely contrary of normal marketplace behavior....It's almost every bit if person is executing a novel algorithm that has it's buying/selling signals crossed. Most disturbing to us is the high majority vehement sell off that affects non exclusively the natural gas marketplace , simply all the other trading instruments related to it.
I'm mostly give efficient markets the create goodness of doutbt , simply it's difficult non to suspect that around programming bugs are working against each other here. It's difficult plenty to debug a programme to piece of occupation lonely , simply when 17 programs piece of occupation against each other all sorts of interesting weirdness tin flaming tumble out. I am reminded of piece of occupation inwards game theory inwards which reckoner programs struggle out the prisoner's dilemma together with all sorts of weird materials erupts. If so , this volition settle downward , simply it may receive got a while.

The Economist reports an interesting related story.
ON FEBRUARY 3RD 2010 , at 1.26.28 pm , an automated trading arrangement operated yesteryear a high-frequency trader (HFT) called Infinium Capital Management malfunctioned. Over the side yesteryear side 3 seconds it entered half dozen ,767 private orders to purchase lite sweetness unsmooth fossil oil futures... Enough of those orders were filled to post the marketplace jolting upwards.
H5N1 NYMEX business-conduct panel investigated what happened that day.... Infinium had finished writing the algorithm exclusively the 24-hour interval earlier it introduced it to the marketplace , together with had tested it for exclusively a pair of hours inwards a mistaken trading surroundings to regard how it would perform. .... When the algorithm started its frenetic buying spree , the measures designed to unopen it downward automatically did non work. One was supposed to plough the arrangement off if a maximum guild size was breached , simply because the machine was placing lots of small-scale orders rather than a unmarried big 1 the shut-down was non triggered. The other mensurate was meant to forbid Infinium from selling or buying to a greater extent than than a for sure let on of contracts , simply because of an error inwards the way the rogue algorithm had been written , this , also , failed to spot a problem. ..
High frequency trading presents a lot of interesting puzzles. The Booth faculty lunchroom has hosted around interesting discussions: "what possible social usage is it to receive got cost regain inwards a microsecond instead of a millisecond?" "I don't know , simply there's a theorem that says if it's profitable it's socially beneficial." "Not if in that location are externalities" "Ok , where's the externality?" At which signal nosotros all concord nosotros don't know what the heck is going on.

There is also the to a greater extent than prosaic query whether high frequency traders "provide liquidity" together with therefore are inwards around feel beneficial to markets , or if they are somehow making markets worse. H5N1 query for around other 24-hour interval (there is around interesting novel research).

There are lots of reports of how profitable it is. But high frequency trading is a zip amount game. Anything yous create inwards milliseconds tin flaming exclusively beak to around other computer. By Definition , they can't all live making coin off each other. 

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