I understand there is a legal issue most individuals on this forum are trying to tackle and I am not sure really if it can be proven that blatant manipulation is actually taking place
I trade the SPDR S&P/ASX 200 Fund (STW) quite a bit and it has plenty of algorithmic trading going on, but that is just so it tracks XJO as much as possible. For me the algo trading is a positive experience not a negative one as I use divergence between the SPI and DOW futures and the ETS price to my advantage.
Algo trading probably influences as much winning trades as it does losing trades. For me personally it has drastically minimized the impact of potential losing trades, whilst also making it easy to time entry into winning trades
But the issue of market correlation is highly significant. In fact without being able to mathematically prove it. I suspect all algo trading on our market is pegged at under performance no matter what happens here in our economy and listed companies, simply because many years ago when the code was written a performance ratio was built into the system. For example the algo could be as simple as sell ASX 200 stocks when the SPI is 0.5 the DOW futures. Relevant many years ago when the code was developed, but not now.
In effect our market performance is permanently pegged to some artificial and permanent ratio that existed when our economy underperformed the US. things have changed since then but the software that controls our countries future prosperity hasn't.
If that isnt the main reason to ban algo trading, I dont know what is. Some out of date software written many years ago so hedge funds could make money on our exchange (and pay fees to the ASX) should have nothing to do with whether a company can raise capital and employ Australians. Its just plain crazy