I don't think any repressive measures are necessary. What needs to be changed is the functioning of disallowed.
The pump and dump problem is based on how the markets (...allow the traders...) to operate. The functions are there in order this to happen, not the other way around. Want to see a more fair market?
1) All real-time market data (L2 at least + data on options and warrants) should be made publicly available free of charge by disalloweds. And don't get mistaken, I am no socialist at all. The stock market is crucial for society and should be seen as the same kind of service as public roads. Let's have the same opportunity for everyone and let disallowed make its revenue on trades instead - perhaps charging those single stock orders, lol.
2) Any stock trade will be placed in the stock market pipeline with a random delay between 1-5 seconds. This will pretty much fu*k up the most adverse forms of high-speed algo trading yet allow the indexes and ETFs to function normally.
3) All the stock purchases are to end up in escrow for a defined period of time. If big ones can have this hurdle, then the small ones (Reddit included) can too. Alternatively, this may even be made variable and the period decided by the particular company. Even 1 trading day as a minimum would make a huge difference. (After the escrow period you can sell any time). This does not prohibit intraday trades, but you can do it only on the stock you already own for at least 1 day - not a big deal.
4) Shorting is healthy and necessary, but all naked short positions should a) observe point 3 and) be reported to the exchange immediately (as all regular trades) and made public in real-time (see point 1).
5) All companies should have an obligation to provide concise and updated info about options, warrants, and stock in escrow and the release/applicability data to it. These are often buried in years of reports and ann's and there is no sense in making this information less available and difficult to obtain. DYOR should not mean digging these out like mad for every company you try to analyze - they should be upfront for every investor to see.
All of these points are totally feasible, as the data is already there, just restricted to high-net-worths and funds. The technical issues are a piece of cake, really. As far as dark pools and other more queer issues - this is just lenience of regulations, nothing more. It's like with the other issues: all know it is bad yet no one does anything about it - big money does not want and does not allow any rectification here.
Howgh!
Just needed to write this down, sorry everyone, lol. Feel free to comment on why this cannot be done
Anyway, very happy with the recent SP action!!! Go IBG!!!
(20min delay)