> I work in HFT, and I'll be contrary and suggest that if you want the most value from your time, focus on learning as much maths and probability as possible.
Why not go even further and just not bother with algotrading, dumping money into index funds like VTI instead? It certainly gives a lot more value for your time.
I was just going by the post title; thanks for the correction. Also, I was mostly responding to the value/time efficiency part of your comment. By putting in nearly zero effort, you would get the gains of the total market.
While we're here, though, I'm genuinely curious: how accessible is HFT to the average retail investor, let alone those who aren't investing at all? Lastly, can HFT consistently beat a total stock market index like SPTMI year-over-year?
HFT is not accessible to an average retail investor or even one who is far above average. It requires extensive technological expertise, expensive equipment, and a professional infrastructure. Yes, good automated trading systems can consistently beat any index. With that said, there are bad systems that actually look good for a long period of time until an unusual situation occurs and wipes out all past profits or even brings down an entire firm. Risk management is a key component.
Not that I am aware of. HFT firms generally don't need outside capital, so they have no motivation to deal with the headaches of running a fund. Funds exist for capital-intensive strategies where receiving fees provides a higher risk-adjusted return than the actual strategy.
I figured HFT firms exist in their own bubble away from most people. So from the perspective of the average joe, they only indirectly exist as a tiny market force that does price discovery.
As for the funds you mentioned, are there any that have a minimum investment of less than $1,000?
The impact of HFT firms is significant, although not obvious to the average person.
Investing directly in a hedge fund requires a much higher initial investment as well as a high net worth. I would not recommend it. It is very difficult to select a portfolio of hedge funds that can outperform a simple low-cost index fund tracking the S&P 500.
Why not go even further and just not bother with algotrading, dumping money into index funds like VTI instead? It certainly gives a lot more value for your time.