# High Frequency Trading, Advantages and Risks
High - Frequency Trading (HFT) is algorithmic trading defined by high-speed trade execution, a staggering volume of transactions, and a very brief investment horizon. HFT leverages specially designed computers to achieve the highest speed of trade execution as much as possible. Due to its complexity, it is mainly used by big institutional investors like hedge funds and financial banks.

High frequency trading employs sophisticated algorithms that study individual equities in milliseconds to identify new patterns. If the analysis discovers a trigger, it will cause hundreds of purchase orders to be sent in a matter of seconds. This is mainly due to <u><a href="https://tradenation.com/articles/what-time-does-forex-market-open/">makert sessions overlapping, such as the London and New York trading sessions.</a></u>
<h2>Advantages of High-Frequency Trading</h2>
Traders can benefit from even the smallest price changes thanks to high frequency trading and trading large quantities of securities. It enables organisations to profit significantly from bid-ask gaps.

A sufficient quantity of liquidity is required for markets to operate correctly and for buyers to have trust in placing their money into stock markets around the globe. Investors want to know that if they place money into the market, they will be able to transfer it at a later date. High-frequency trading techniques increase market availability. The quantity and number of transactions executed using this approach guarantee a liquid market.

HFT traders serve as makeshift market makers who purchase and sell when no one will. In reality, the spreads they earn off their trades are "likely less than what was taken out of the system earlier by conventional market makers." Because HFT trades can account for up to 70% of trading traffic on any given day, investors have a better chance of being paired with a counterparty, i.e., the HFT trader, eager to purchase or sell at their desired price. Currently, it is comparatively easy to purchase or sell a significant number of shares, particularly for widely followed businesses.

Multiple marketplaces and exchanges can be scanned by trading algorithms. It allows traders to discover more trading chances, such as arbitraging small price variations for the same commodity sold on various platforms.

High frequency trading is defended by many as improving market availability. As trades are carried out more quickly, and in greater quantities, HFT unmistakably boosts market competition. The marketplaces become more price-efficient as a result of the decreased bid-ask gaps brought on by the increased liquidity.

Because there is always someone on the other side of a trade, an open market has lower risk. Also, as liquidity grows, the price a vendor is willing to sell for and the price a customer is willing to pay will get closer.

A stop-loss order, which guarantees that a trader's position will close at a certain price and avoid further loss, is one of the tactics that can be used to reduce risk.
<h2>Risks of High-Frequency Trading</h2>
Regulators, financial experts, and academics do not all agree on how high frequency trading should be regulated.

High frequency traders rarely keep their assets overnight, invest little money, and hold their positions for only a brief period of time before selling them.

As a consequence, the Sharpe Ratio, or risk-reward ratio, is extremely high. The ratio is much greater in comparison to the classic investor who invests keeping in mind a long-term strategy. A high frequency trader may occasionally only make a tiny fraction of a penny, which is all they need to make profits throughout the day but also raises the possibility of suffering a sizable loss.

HFT is frequently criticised for only generating "virtual liquidity" in the market. HFT detractors note that the liquidity produced is not "real" because the assets are only kept briefly. Before a normal investor can acquire the asset, it has already been traded numerous times by high frequency traders. The enormous liquidity produced by high-frequency trading (HFT) has largely dissipated by the time the average trader makes an order.

Additionally, high frequency traders (large financial organisations) are believed to frequently benefit at the cost of lesser-known market participants (smaller financial institutions, individual investors).

Finally, HFT has been linked to greater market volatility and even market collapses. Regulators have busted some high-frequency traders for using unlawful market influence techniques like spoofing and stacking. During the Flash Crash of 2010, it was established that HFT played a significant role in the extreme market instability.
<h2>Ethics and Market Impact</h2>
Some professionals criticise high-frequency trading because they think it provides big companies an unfair edge and unbalances the playing field. It can also harm other investors with long-term plans and purchase or trade in large quantities.

Critics also contend that new technologies and computerised trading, which began in the early 2000s, contribute to market volatility. Small and large collapses can be exacerbated by such technologies bulk liquidating their portfolios in response to particular market signals.

Some European nations want to prohibit high-frequency trading to reduce volatility and, eventually, avoid events like the 2010 US Flash Crash and the Knight Capital crash.

Algorithms can also be written to start thousands of orders and rescind them seconds later, causing a brief price increase. Taking advantage of such deception is generally regarded as immoral and, in some cases, unlawful.
<h2>Final Words</h2>
High-frequency trading, or HFT, is a trading strategy that employs strong computer programmes to execute a large number of transactions in fractions of a second. It analyses numerous marketplaces and executes orders based on market circumstances using complex algorithms. Typically, traders with the quickest implementation rates are more lucrative than traders with slower execution speeds. In addition to fast transaction speeds, HFT is distinguished by high turnover rates and order-to-trade ratios. Tower Research, Citadel LLC, and Virtu Financial are some of the most well-known HFT companies.