Right on, Sum, although I do have a hard time sometimes with what some folks call manipulation. We all, in some form or another, try to controll the environment within which we trade. An example of that could be your suggestion that you were attempting to move the bid/ask up a penny or two by taking out the miniscule asks. It didn't work because someone was on the other side utilizing better controls than you were. Is this good, bad, improper. No, it is simply the bid/ask sides expressing their controls. Another example would be when I decided to move out of FWR. I had a large holding, yet I moved it in very small chunks, over several days, as I didn't want to reveal the fact that I was moving out. Was that manipulation, or just normal controlled selling?

The marketplace, despite claims that it is otherwise, is actually designed to provide the fairest trading platform possible, under the widest range of variables. Unfortunately, here, as it is everywhere, it does not appear fair to the little guy. If you trade a few thousand shares a month, you have little wiggle room, but someone who moves hundreds of thousands on a daily basis would naturally have much more ability to determine the parameters. This is good, and a natural result of a free market.

I reiterate my previous statements. It is good to pay attention to these small nuances. Each one of them contributes to the knowledge of how this market works. The better you understand the market, the better your chances of profitting from it.

Best regards

K