Folks, there's just nothing unusual going on here. Reality is there is a lot of stock out there, and the churn the MM's and others set up have no long term impact unless you are gullible enough to sell into it. That is why you never put new money in all in one day, but start with as much as half, then follow the stock for a while and add to positions on pullbacks. The activity you are watching does tend to foil day traders, by eliminating some volatility, but what's wrong with that. Buy and hold types can sleep better at night waiting for a valuation/news  event to move it higher. And I think day trading is quite fine, just a tough way to make a buck, and a good way to make a mistake.