15 - Spoofing: Market Disruption Made Easy by Technology

Summary

In folklore, a will-o’-the-wisp is a supernatural ghostly floating light found in swamps and marshes that leads unfortunate travelers off safe paths and into dangerous areas. Although “spoof” orders for trades in futures contracts (and other financial instruments) are neither supernatural nor found in swamps, they are similar to will-o’-the-wisps in that spoof orders are fleeting presences intent on leading others astray. Modern futures market will-o’the-wisps, however, are often software algorithms that travel through trading platforms at superhuman speeds, and not the fiery fairy beings portrayed in legends.