How Algos Orchestrate "Momentum Ignition" Chaos

Via Nanex, 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 eMiini 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. Basically, this momentum ignition strategy is based on several principles. When the markets suddenly move, spreads immediately widen, and momentum based strategies will follow along in the same di...