
HFT in My Backyard (2014) - davedx
https://sniperinmahwah.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/hft-in-my-backyard-part-i/
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nomad_dude
Previous discussion here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8354278](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8354278)

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dang
There was a series of posts that did very well on HN:
[https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...](https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=hft%20sniperinmahwah%20comments%3E3&sort=byDate&type=story).
Has it really been that long ago.

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client4
This blog actually got me into HFT. It's a fascinating industry with a lot of
fun bleeding edge tech challenges.

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amelius
I could be totally wrong, and perhaps I should read that blog, but working in
HFT doesn't sound very rewarding except perhaps in a pure financial sense. It
seems to me that the field contributes nothing to society, and has only
negative externalities like raising barriers of entry to markets and using
insane amount of resources.

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harryh
HFT has significantly lowered trading costs for all investors. Here's a
statement from the CEO of Vanguard espousing this position:

[https://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/25/vanguard-chief-defends-
high-...](https://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/25/vanguard-chief-defends-high-
frequency-trading-firms.html)

Because of automation, the amount of resources used for trading have actually
decreased. Computers are a lot cheaper that the many many humans who used to
be involved in the process.

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chiph
I remember the days in the early 80's when Merrill Lynch would charge $70 for
a trade. That's the equivalent to $190 today. And people paid it because the
low-cost firms like Schwab weren't well-known and people thought "If they're
that cheap, they can't be any good."

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uplyftcapital
You can thank HFT for the ubiquitous free trades that most brokers now
provide.

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jcun4128
Are the lines on the map literal? I would think propagation goes around vs.
linear but maybe they're using helical antennas so it is high gain?

I'm probably confused I'm vaguely aware of the concept with dedicated
lines/least latency/etc... I saw a picture of a tower/thinking it's about
transmission...

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ladberg
I think it's all point-to-point directional antennas, so it would be linear.

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client4
Yes. The HFT industry likes Aviat radios.

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hnick
> What’s more, if there is only one tree (or one leaf) between two
> points/dishes, the network is dead. Paths need to be free of obstacles.

Question: Are there typically any laws against blocking line-of-sight like
this as long as you stay on your own land? Such as sending up a hot air
balloon "sign" that just happens to be in the way of the expensive setup?

