The financial world was once dominated by gossip, speculation, research and strategically – timed trades – by people, for people. With the introduction of computers and high-speed fibre optic cables, however, the human grasp on trading is becoming evermore tenuous. Algorithms and bots are the new players on the stock market, engaging in high-frequency trading at nearly the speed of light, turning microscopic gains across a vast field into major profits. Matthew Tiessen explains how a new logic and geography is emerging from this unfathomably fast and complex practice.
