[disposablese]

I’d say that those claiming it’s a simple or classic strategy have very little idea of how stock exchanges operate in second and third-world countries. Getting permission to trade as a foreign institutional investor requires a significant amount of legal work and, umm, bureaucratic investment. Almost all stock exchanges out there use off-the-shelf trade surveillance software, which means the exchange will flag this, and so will the SEC-equivalents, on every trade they make. There’s also a proactive element to this in the form of writing reports and asking for explanations regarding the trades. There’s no way these trades happen without someone noticing.

The thing is, Jane Street still consists of some of the smartest people in the room. Getting into markets like this and making large-volume trades is no easy feat. We often equate algorithmic prowess with investment intelligence, but in reality, navigating the legal and regulatory requirements is the only edge you have in trading these days. It’s very hard to figure this out as an international firm. Jane Street did it, and they deserve kudos for it. Trust me, if it were an Indian firm making the same moves, you wouldn’t have heard about it.

You’ll see Jane Street will pay a fine and come out on top. This is because they plan for these things with the expectation that regulators will make a scene about it.

[bwfan123]

> You’ll see Jane Street will pay a fine and come out on top

Maybe, but the stain on their reputation is hard to wash off. They will forever be known as a manipulator.

What was a geeky ocaml wielding quant shop is now viewed as plain-old manipulating crooks with a nerdy veneer.

[disposablese]

That’s such a STEM thing to say. In finance, this is considered a badge of honor.

Your genius physicist hedge fund operator who "broke the game" in the investment world ended up paying $7 billion in a tax settlement [0]. There’s no algorithm—it’s all about regulations and manipulation. In the investment world, fines, "bureaucratic investments," and similar costs are just operating expenses. Guess what? Everything is a line item in a financial report.

You hire STEM researchers from Ivy League schools—why? You hire these guys, not just because they’re smart, but because they come with "back home connections" —maybe a multi-millionaire businessman for a father or a politician for an uncle. Nobody makes it to these colleges or financial institutions by merit alone. You need those connections. That’s entirely how finance works.

[0] https://www.wsj.com/articles/james-simons-robert-mercer-othe...

[bwfan123]

thanks for the your perspective on this ! It is somewhat depressing to view it in that light, but thats the way it works. Being in STEM, and not in finance, I thought reputation and trust matter in banking and finance based on articles like this [1].

[1] https://www.matthewpowell.com/weekly-note/warren-buffett-ste...