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German central bank: HFTs can worsen ‘flash crashes’

But supporters of high-frequency trading claim they boost liquidity on financial markets, making it easier for investors to buy or sell

German central bank: HFTs can worsen ‘flash crashes’
Photo: iStock

High-frequency trading firms tend to aggravate financial-market swings and could contribute to “flash crash” events, in which market prices collapse and rebound very rapidly, Germany’s Bundesbank warned in a report on October 24.

The findings could support the debate over fresh regulation of high-frequency firms, which use algorithms to buy and sell stocks and bonds at very short intervals, the Bundesbank said.

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