US Stem Cell Inc (USRM)

[Dragon Lady]

Interesting article just popped up, sort timed well with the who is ARCA question. It's about the HFT (high speed traders) who for the most part- invented and developed those "private networks" like ARCA you're asking about.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/high-speed-trading-firms-face-001700904.html

If you ever want a real interesting read- like mind blowing in my opinion, go to Amazon and look up the book "Dark pools" by Patterson or "The Quants" by Patterson- Amazon will also show other similar books that readers "liked" in same category. You can probably get a copy at a local library- it's mind blowing stuff as to how brutal Wall St really is behind the scenes and what has evolved into this "electronic trading and hedge fund/blind pool" stuff and what it's done to distort the markets. As in how can/does say someone like an "Asher" often do what they do- as in going short a bunch on convertible shares, often being able to crush a stock price to dirt- all for their own fun and pure profit and personal gain, with "little guys" never having a chance or knowing what truck just ran um over.

An interesting guy to read and listen to his commentary on all this is the BILLIONAIRE ole Mark Cuban- who made his fortune on internet companies, now owns the Dallas Mavericks among other ventures and is on Shark Tank the TV show- he openly HATES this electronic trading, HFT high frequency stuff and thinks it's the bane of the markets now- destroying the original purpose of the public capital markets, who's original intent was to help aspiring companies raise needed cash, allow real investors a chance, etc. Not to allow a bunch of boiler room dudes who use MIT math geeks using some of the most sophisticated computer networks on earch to shave pennies off of trades, or "head fake" orders to drive stocks down in a blink, or crush entire companies in short plays and so forth. He's written some real good stuff on all this.

Just interesting you asked about ARCA and who they are as they are popping up with BHRT order flow - and then this HFT/private trading network article pops in today- might be a good read you'd be interested in.