Yesterday trades made from 2.21pm, totaling $26271 took the SP...

Yesterday trades made from 2.21pm, totaling $26271 took the SP from 39c to 37c.

2 trades accounted for $19567 of that trading. Each of those trades were clearly sell initiated. The first of $12000 at 2.43.42pm broke the resistance at 38.5c to scare off any buyers. the next at 3.54.20pm mopped up the thin buy side orders down to 37c, to cover the gap on the chart, where on 5th May the price jumped after the trading halt. Often, there will be stop loss conditional orders placed at the bottom price of the gap. That's why they try to breach the gap - their bot instantly mops up those sell orders triggered by the trade at that price. No such luck for the trader it seems this time.

So after 2 very positive announcements, the SP is back exactly where it was before the KBR announcement. Someone has just placed a $28.49 order 37c, to match the highest sell bid. My guess is the bot for the person who placed that order, will, if it doesn't become too expensive, place buy orders to ensure the auction price this morning stays at 37c. Then watch out for the cap and net bids above an below that new price, to establish that as the new bottom of the price band that they will try to maintain for the next little while while they accumulate, until the next announcement. Rinse and repeat.

This creates a pattern discernible in the chart, if you are smart enough to read those tea leaves. However, the problem for us punters, is that this pattern tends to drive the price down over time, for a company that should naturally be on an upward trajectory. The trader can just wait for the next announcement and do the opposite of the above to move the SP up at that point and then sell into the volume the announcement and price jump creates. He knows when to sell down, because he is driving the SP. We've bought too much during his earlier shenanigans. We are not game to buy up when he does, because we're over committed to this stock. Each time, when the price spikes a little, we hold on because we'd be selling at a loss. Then the one time we do try to play that game, the company re-rates while we are out of the market and we miss out! So we hold and hope the company succeeds, but even if it does, because of this dynamic the SP having been held back for so long, never reaches the highs it should have. That is until the company starts making money and paying a dividend - when everything changes. But how many of these tech hopefuls and start ups ever do, before someone with deep pockets comes in and buys them out at a price discounted by these shenanigans, long before the punters see the their patience rewarded.

Such market manipulation is illegal. But hey - when did that ever matter?!