Money & Speed: Inside the Black Box

The following is a fantastic documentary on high frequency trading produced by a Dutch TV news program. It focuses on the flash crash of May 6, 2010 but covers most aspects of HFT in depth, and it's really well done and entertaining. It might open your eyes to a few things (like how much they actually spend to build an HFT datacenter - Jesus) and how critical a millisecond in time can be to these guys. Of course, they also cover what happens when an algo gets off the chain, which ain't good. Check it out:

11 Comments
 

the ultra low latency game is dying/becoming stagnant imo, the markets have adapted such that the pure arb spreads are becoming thinner and thinner, so far less opportunities, and the stat arb game doesnt require speed.

many exchanges are getting fed up with the cost of having to put up with more and more orders which do fewer and fewer trades, and the cost of getting that extra ms shaved off is getting silly (satellites soon lol). The markets are pretty efficient as a result of it, but getting more than a few cents in an arb trade is really rare, and the chances of getting stung in a cable spike on a forex arb is only worth the effort in auctions.

 
trazer985the ultra low latency game is dying/becoming stagnant imo, the markets have adapted such that the pure arb spreads are becoming thinner and thinner, so far less opportunities, and the stat arb game doesnt require speed.

many exchanges are getting fed up with the cost of having to put up with more and more orders which do fewer and fewer trades, and the cost of getting that extra ms shaved off is getting silly (satellites soon lol). The markets are pretty efficient as a result of it, but getting more than a few cents in an arb trade is really rare, and the chances of getting stung in a cable spike on a forex arb is only worth the effort in auctions.

Think microwave transmitters may be even better than satellites? Beat the lines by ~2 ms's. That said, shits cray.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BU639_TELECO_G_20120529184208.jpg

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 
Best Response
seabird
trazer985the ultra low latency game is dying/becoming stagnant imo, the markets have adapted such that the pure arb spreads are becoming thinner and thinner, so far less opportunities, and the stat arb game doesnt require speed.

many exchanges are getting fed up with the cost of having to put up with more and more orders which do fewer and fewer trades, and the cost of getting that extra ms shaved off is getting silly (satellites soon lol). The markets are pretty efficient as a result of it, but getting more than a few cents in an arb trade is really rare, and the chances of getting stung in a cable spike on a forex arb is only worth the effort in auctions.

Think microwave transmitters may be even better than satellites? Beat the lines by ~2 ms's. That said, shits cray.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BU639_TELECO_G_20120529184208.jpg

which will cost say, $100m per trading firm, and in X months time, microwave mk2 comes out, and your $100m bought you some recycling.

 

There was another documentary made by the same people about trading. I think it was posted here but I can't remember its name. It was very interesting too. Thanks for posting this!

 

I like how at 25:12 they show the satellite image of the two trading centers so close, with the guy saying just before that there is no connection, then transition into the segment "Arbitrage". Wouldn't doubt at all this investment bank was tipped off ahead of time they would be building there eventually. It would be interesting to know when the bank built their building and the nasdaq owned that property.

 

Occaecati veniam autem est consequatur nesciunt cupiditate et. Magni dolorem dolorum est id et ut et. Vitae dolorum id ea qui maiores voluptates doloremque voluptatem. Et suscipit blanditiis repudiandae iusto et quia aspernatur vitae. Ullam facere molestiae minus assumenda ut.

Est earum eius tempora aut repudiandae culpa perspiciatis mollitia. Magni officia minus magnam tempora repellendus ut. Distinctio sed incidunt quo voluptatum veritatis deserunt. Sit eos non ad voluptas. Nihil voluptatum autem eligendi voluptatibus cupiditate rerum laborum fugit.

“To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks.” --Benjamin Graham B.K.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”