Oversimplified: HFT is essentially front running in disguise. It has a technical component but it's better to think of it as someone running ahead of you to be first in line at the counter of the bakery to buy the thing you want to be buying so there is a bigger chance you'll be buying it from them or so that the increase in price when you are buying it will allow them to sell it to someone else at a profit.
The main focus is on being able to outrun not just you, but also everybody else, hence the focus on latency. The next problem: which bakery to target first is where there is some analysis involved.
The main focus is on being able to outrun not just you, but also everybody else, hence the focus on latency. The next problem: which bakery to target first is where there is some analysis involved.