September 18, 2009
I believe that this action is an improvement, but is insufficient. There needs to be a randomized lag inserted into the ordering process in order to truly level the playing field this would also dampen some of the speculation driven volatility in the marketplace, as well as discouraging some churn.
I believe that it would also help shift the focus of traders more towards looking at longer term value/wealth creation.
A randomized delay of even up to a minute is not going to negatively impact the overall flow of the markets.
Disclaimers: I am not now, nor have I ever been an employee of a brokerage firm.