The CME (and CBOT) are supposedly doing away with those messages starting july 2nd to improve anonymity. I have my doubts though, and I think that some big traders will still find ways to see counterparty, especially if they work at a firm that also clears. Fake orders are pretty much the norm now in any interest rate product. A lot of it is automated spreaders, and in the benchmark contracts, its large locals or hedge funds trying to take all the money from the locals.
you can say that. any kind of trading is risky, but by definition futures spreading is somewhat lower risk that plain old directional outrights since you are hedged both long and short at the same time in two very tightly correlated instruments - and it IS a legitimate way to make a good living if you know how to spread, I know some great bund/bobl spreaders who can make four figures daily with comparatively low risk and drawdowns. Having said that, any trader, spreader or not can and will lose money by the truckload if they dont know exactly what they are doing.