This is the first of two post here for me. I just want a comment that with all these various techniques being used to manipulate the price by one market maker or another, one investing group or another, one deep pocket or another, all of these forces are unequal. Therefore for the little guy who doesn't have $100,000 sitting around in a slush fund simply to be used at one's whim the best we can hope for is to skillfully exploit the peaks and troughs caused by these inequalities.
I know this might be a simple observation but it has been working well for me as I build my portfolio from a small, poorly vented outhouse to a larger 7 bedroom, 5 bath mcmansion on Nantucket.
Spock.... Several of my Vulcan besties live on Nantucket or Martha's vineyard.