My opinion is based on research... if not I would not have such a strong opinion...

Ok, I guessed you where the typical age of a Steem user.... a user in his thirties. For him these numbers are just crap... If you are in your 60's then you belong to the last fortunate group of beneficiaries of the current system. Enjoy it while it lasts... This can come to an end sooner than you think... perhaps this autumn?

And this opinion is based on maths and economics...

Thanks to market manipulation your pension funds are still able to pay out every month... Without intervention from the FED it would have been Game over a decade ago...

Anyhow... HFT is another issue than market manipulation...
We both are against market manipulation. But in your case I would favor it... if not your pension would be gone a decade ago... but for a guy who is supposed to get his pension in 30-40 years? I would tell him that he should look elsewhere for security than this system...