On "dark pools," large block trades between institutions that are conducted outside the market and thus invisible to the public until they are completed:

While I have always been an advocate of electronic trading due to the efficiency the lower costs they bring o the markets, I am nit (sic) a fan of the lack of transparency the DARK POOLS create.

It is important to examine why there has been this growing interest in the use of dark pools. Markets have always focused on the speed with which information becomes available. Of course this information can be composed of various types.

It could be corporate developments like earnings or mergers or it can be information regarding the placements of buy and sell orders and who is placing these orders. It is the latter information that has created the interest in the dark pools.

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From the New York Times:

Mr. Gupta’s lawyers argue that a lengthy prison term is unnecessary because Mr. Gupta has already paid a terrible price. They said that his reputation is in tatters given the intense media attention surrounding his trial. “This is the quintessential case of a monumental fall that is, in and of itself, severe punishment,” said the defense.

Most people convicted of crimes find their reputation in tatters. But only a few have access to lawyers bold enough to argue that this distressing change in status should constitute a get-out-of-jail-free card. Chalk it up as just one more piece of evidence proving that the wealthiest Americans simply don't believe the rules apply to them.

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