TD Ameritrade warning about price manipulation
Hi all,
Has anyone received a TD Ameritrade warning about price manipulation in their account ? I did today citing certain trades I have made. I replied to them citing what has been going on since 2012. I also let them know Im agitated that I should receive such an email while the real price suppression continues unabated for the past 9 years. On one hand they claim no responsibility for OTC stocks then on the other hand they flag puny legal trades as possible manipulation. Maybe the Hellix riggers are getting a little worried that we continue to fight them. I don't know If I will attempt any more buy orders if getting hassled is the result. See below.
-Lamont
At TD Ameritrade, we always want to be sure you know the relevant rules and regulations governing the trading and positions you hold in your account. In particular, we want you to be aware of the practice known as manipulative trading.
Possible Manipulative Trading in Your Account
We are bringing this up because an instance of manipulative trading may have occurred in your account(s): XXXXXXXX
Between XXXXXXX - XXXXXXX the client established a pattern of potentially manipulative trading in HLLXF. The client is placing small buy orders in what appears to be an attempt to uptick or support the price of the stock.
Order ID: XXXXX.........
Manipulative trading practices constitute a serious violation of exchange trading rules. Sometimes traders unknowingly use a strategy that may involve manipulative trading. You can help avoid this, and the potential penalties resulting from it, by familiarizing yourself with the subject. Your business is important to us, and we want to assist you with some useful information.
What Are Manipulative Trading Practices?
Manipulative trading practices include, but are not limited to, transactions for the purpose of:
- Creating or inducing a false, misleading, or artificial appearance of activity in the market.
- Unduly or improperly influencing the market price.
- Setting a price that does not reflect the true state of the market.
- Trades that result in no change in beneficial ownership.
- Pre-arranged trading with other parties.
Terms commonly used to describe manipulative trading practices include: wash trades, matched trades, painting the tape, and spoofing.
What Penalties Are Involved?
Accounts directly or indirectly engaged in manipulative trading practices may be subject to trading restrictions, account closures, and/or regulatory penalties. We urge you to be careful not to engage in the sort of trading activity described above in order to avoid these penalties in the future.
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