How Algos Orchestrate "Momentum Ignition" Chaos

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2012 - 15:11

On December 26, 2012 at 11:02:59, the market suddenly exploded with activity (SPY dropped below 141.88 - a low set 12 days earlier on December 14). Approximately 3,800 March 2013 eMini futures contracts (S$P 500) were sold during that second. Nanex thought the sudden explosion in activity warranted a closer look. What they found was fascinating. It appears the entire market-wide move may have been carefully orchestrated. One thing for certain is that our regulators will never be able to see the big picture if their analysis tools (MIDAS) only looks at equity data. Analyzing price moves in futures and options is crucial to understanding market-wide moves in equities, and visa versa. The sad truth is that 'momentum ignition' events such as this occur all the time. See this page more details, including an animation that shows where and when these events have occurred since 2007.