Now the vacuum tubes are really in trouble. Bloomberg reports that the NY AG Schneiderman is making good on his threat to go after (it remains to be seen if this is more than a publicity stunt, and actual enforcement actions follow) several New York HFT firms. Bloomberg reports:

• NY AG SAID SEEKING INFO ON SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH DARK POOLS
• NY AG SAID TO SEND SUBPOENAS TO FIRMS INCLUDING JUMP TRADING
• NY AG SAID TO SEND SUBPOENAS TO FIRMS INCLUDING CHOPPER
• NY AG SAID TO SEND SUBPOENAS TO FIRMS INCLUDING TOWER RESEARCH

Surely Goldman was in no way aware of this coming crack down wave on HFT traders when it washed its hands of the entire industry, and effectively gave up on the trading space in its current format. WSJ has more:

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office sent its first wave of subpoenas to about a half-dozen high-frequency trading firms in an investigation into whether some rapid-fire firms have an unfair advantage over other trading outfits, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

The attorney general is seeking details about whether the firms have secret arrangements with stock exchanges or other trading venues that give the high-speed firms the ability to trade ahead of other investors, this person said.

We doubt this will go anywhere - after all go after HFTs and the rigged market gets it - but the idea of a vacuum tube doing a perp walk is strangely appealing.