"While some suspect 'funny business' and institutional investors 'accumulating' there is really no possible way to actually prove that going on nor intentional delay of information to allow it to happen."
Precisely.... and that is exactly why it happens. It's all set up and though I don't submit that it goes on all the time, everywhere, every trade..... it's significant. Naked shorting, insider knowledge, subprime, departing from a gold standard and on and on. The market is based on big fish dining on little ones. I've been watching multiple stocks and seen the walk down. I don't believe for a second it's all legit.. I likewise don't think you can explain away sp surges prior to news but for the fact that some have knowledge others don't. Entities don't even have to know for a fact that information won't be out for one month... they can gamble on two weeks and have fun with the sp in that time. In the position that NOT is they don't have to throw out very many shares to drop the sp so it's a winning situation for someone in that position. Bye the bye....where do I pick up one of those little black boxes.