If this was the "intent" of someone/some entity, d

If this was the "intent" of someone/some entity, does it fall under Manipulation? If yes, are there any "automatic" regulatory processes watching this? Can it be easily proven or disproven with public data?


PROHIBITION AGAINST MANIPULATION OF SECURITY PRICES
SEC. 9. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person, directly or indirectly,
by the use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of
interstate commerce, or of any facility of any national securities exchange,
or for any member of a national securities exchange—
(1) For the purpose of creating a false or misleading appearance
of active trading in any security other than a government security,
or a false or misleading appearance with respect to the market
for any such security, (A) to effect any transaction in such security
which involves no change in the beneficial ownership thereof,
or ( to enter an order or orders for the purchase of such security
with the knowledge that an order or orders of substantially the
same size, at substantially the same time, and at substantially the
same price, for the sale of any such security, has been or will be
entered by or for the same or different parties, or (C) to enter any
order or orders for the sale of any such security with the knowledge
that an order or orders of substantially the same size, at substantially
the same time, and at substantially the same price, for the
Sec. 9 SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 86
purchase of such security, has been or will be entered by or for the
same or different parties.
(2) To effect, alone or with 1 or more other persons, a series
of transactions in any security other than a government security,
any security not so registered, or in connection with any securitybased
swap or security-based swap agreement with respect to such
security creating actual or apparent active trading in such security,
or raising or depressing the price of such security, for the purpose
of inducing the purchase or sale of such security by others.