Praetotian2 ,another thing you have going for you is by definition,micro cap limits size + number of players. Further limiting players is many will not play stocks under $12.oo That one is less likely to be stolen also because you are under the $ 5.oo radar screen.
Go on a losing streak, that'l teach em. Actually, just because someone knows your strategy.....that doesn't mean they will be able to execute on it.
Lets say though that you do pick those 50c stocks that go to 20. And you do it often over a few years. Wouldn't you think that others will just follow you. I'm not talking about daytraders. If you are buying something that trades 5k a day, you can realistically buy 10-20k a week and not move the stock much. You won't make the chart look like something for daytraders to follow you. I'm talking about people at those firms. Wouldn't people be looking at your trading records? This is just one example though. Say you have something really good which is mechanical, and a chimp could do it. There are very set rules like enter at 10 if a and b, and sell moc. It is something that if was explained, everyone would do it, and there's no need for intraday watching. Just a set stop point. Wouldn't many people steal it, especially if it made 10-20% a month with minimal drawdowns??
I hope the scurvy bastards that copy my strategies followed me into THC. That one definitely taught 'em, and I meant to do that (not!).
Careful who you talk to. What you are describing is collusion, and the reason mm's got sued in the early 90's.
I didn't say what I wanted to talk to them about. I have no intention of engaging in anything that would be considered unethical or manipulative.
And I thought that I was being paranoid about my systems... I was even feeling guilty about that. But I was right, as I see.
I want to revive this thread as I think it is even more relevant today than in the past. With automation becoming more common, what are people doing to protect themselves against theft? It seems too easy for a broker to just start watching the most profitable automated strategies and front run them.