Stock Market So Manipulated That Retail Investors Flee, Volume Declines 1/3

Not only is consolidated stock activity plunging, with Rosenblatt Securities confirming a 50% drop in August action YoY, but ever more are shifting their trading patterns to dark venues. This is yet another checkmark confirming that "stock markets" are nothing more than a venue for institutions to play hot potato with each other, as retail wants nothing to do with this joke of a manipulated market. From Rosenblatt securities:"The bad news is that non-displayed venues are taking a bigger slice of a shrinking pie. August consolidated activity is on pace to fall even more dramatically (~35% sequentially and ~50% YOY), suggesting something beyond just the typical summer doldrums." In other news, the final draft of the obituary for capital markets is now running through the spell-check.