2013 US Market Structure Predictions

Themis Trading’s 2013 US Market Structure Predictions:

Yes friends, it is that time of the year. It is the time when we start anew, carefully analyze market structure trends in the US equity markets, and release our predictions for what you can expect to happen this coming year in our capital-raising marketplace. This is not an exact science, mind you – it is an art form that has taken us years to perfect. Two years ago we got one of our predictions correct, and last year we improved and saw 1.5 of our predictions come to fruition. Let us delay no longer – here goes:

1) Following the completion of ICE’s takeover of NYSE, ICE will proceed to take out a reverse mortgage on the Mahwah facility. The proceeds will go towards funding fresh golden parachutes. Robert Wagner and Henry Winkler will get board seats.

2) Congress will pass HFT legislation that includes a transaction tax. They will then create a loophole that exempts market makers and members of the Futures Industry Association lobby from said tax.

3) The Bravo cable network will launch a new reality show in which computer programmers compete weekly in algo-challenges; the winner at season’s end will get full US citizenship.

4) The SEC will mandate that all dark pools disclose how stocks are priced in their ATS’s by no later than the 2nd quarter. Bwahahahahahaha.

5) A major HFT firm will take out a 30-millisecond ad during the Super Bowl. The following day retail investors will inexplicably send in a plethora of market orders on stock exchanges, prompting a flash crash, and HFT’s most profitable day ever.

6) More than one major stock exchange will hold an after-Christmas sale on colocation pricing, and another will discount their services using Groupon.

7) A broker dealer in the market structure space will be forced to disclose its monetary ties to HFT industry.

8) The movie Ghost Exchange will break all kinds of box office records, as well as spawn a video game of the same name, where players fight for the best algo to flip securities for gold coin rebates. Joe will be high scorer.

9) Eric Hunsader will take over as the head of the Office of Quantitative Research at the SEC, prompting three large HFT firms to close their doors.

10) Another major power outage will hit New Jersey, not due to a natural disaster, but rather due to overload conditions at exchange data centers from quote traffic. Crew from Ohio will be called upon to save the day.

Happy New Year and here is hoping that we don’t beat last year’s forecasting success!

Joe & Sal

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