%% DOW is easily manipulated IBD founder said; so anything connected to it is suspect. Anything with a huge bid/ask may seem to be rigged against you. That's why it take$ a hot RE market with a 10% commission on land, to profit -- Huge bid/ask an hurt an active trader; no problem for an invester, mostly LOL-LOL
The devil is in the details. In my non professional opinion, no, if your counter party is the MM, they trade not to bet against you but because they are required and they hedge. Maybe, if you are trading against the institutions.
%% I was trying to think of the name of the free trading magazine, where the publisher was arrested, went to jail, securities fraud ??NO longer with us.LOL Thay ran a trading contest on a Russel derivative product. $50 k trading capital lasted about a week; could go long or short, swing or daytrad, no options. BUT when I entered, first day of contest; they put in $100,000. But I only traded off the $50,000; figured it was mistake or even if they did that for everyone, it was fraud dishonest, since they ran the ad as $50,000 capital . They let you see all the results, most blew up.LOL
%% Looked, felt like realmoney, not that you could with draw any of it out LOL. Plus you had to sign an agreement, they ,could use your real name ,publish your name if you blew up....................................................................
%% Most likely helpful; i think the one i entered was 5 or 7 days. But one thing fake about it=that almost forced daytrading/frequent trading, because 5-7 days may not enough time usually for gaps to help[small sample].I doubt if any contest would lump stocks, options, futures all together , even though a magazine could.