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The financial markets are pretty efficient. High-frequency traders have fiber-optic cables in close proximity to major US stock exchanges. Many trades are done using computer algorithms. These trades are executed near the speed of light. Whenever you hear or see new information, it is already incorporated in the stock price. All the news you hear on CNBC or Bloomberg is already reflected in stock prices within fractions of a second. The light travels about 124,188 miles per second through the fiber optic cables (Brodsky). So, if a trading firm has a server within a mile of major stock exchanges, it can execute trades within 0.000008052 seconds after the news hits the market. Most retail investors do not have the technology to execute trades before professional traders with computer power and fiber-optic cables in close proximity to exchanges.  

References:

Brodsky Paul. The Speed of Light Never Changes—Except When it Does. https://blog.telegeography.com/the-speed-of-light-never-changes-except-when-it-does

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