High-frequency Trading–to Regulate or Not to Regulate-That is the Question? : Does Scientific Data Offer an Answer?

• High-frequency trading (HFT) certainly captures public (and regulatory) attention. On May 6th 2010, the Dow Jones (DJ) experienced its largest intraday point drop in history, shedding $1 trillion of its market value in half an hour. Largely as a consequence of the event– named Flash Crash–regulatory authorities sharpened the regulations concerning HFT: in the U.S., circuit breakers were introduced [1], and the European Union made regulative changes that require equity orders to delay for at least half a second. Also, in the markets, there has been a demand for introducing a financial transactions tax (FTT) in order to discourage high frequency trading.So, what is high-frequency trading? And why should it be regulated? And if it is regulated, how should that regulation be designed? In this editorial article, I will focus on existing scientific evidence on how HFT affects the market, and on the big questions about HFT that remain unanswered.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Keyword

high-frequency trading

financial markets

systematic risk

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)