Published on April 1, 2014, the book Flash Boys caused a sensation in America’s financial world. In its very first week, 130,000 copies were sold, and the FBI announced the start of an investigation into high-frequency trading (HFT). This only confirms that the book’s author—American writer and financial journalist Michael Lewis—hit the most painful spot in today’s stock market, which is considered an icon of global capitalism and, in reality, is an operation orchestrated by stock exchanges, large banks, and high-frequency traders.
A small group of “Wall Street guys” exposed the scheme. Working for different companies, they gave up high-paying positions, found allies in one another, and, banding together, set out on a war path against the financial gatekeepers. The culmination of their struggle was the creation of an independent exchange, arranged fairly for all market participants.
The book will be of interest to anyone involved in exchange trading and anyone curious about its secret mechanisms.