You would change the rules, but I think the result would largely remain the same. As a market participant with the fastest access to data from other markets, news, and similar sources, as well as low order entry latency, you would still be able to profit from information asymmetry.
Imagine that a company announces the approval of its new vaccine a few milliseconds before the periodic trade occurs. As an HFT firm, you have the technology to enter, cancel, or modify your orders before the periodic auction takes place, while less sophisticated players remain oblivious to what just happened. The same applies to price movements on venues trading the same instrument, its derivatives, or even correlated assets in different parts of the world.
On the other hand, you risk increasing price volatility (especially in cases where there is an imbalance between buyers and sellers during the periodic auction) and making markets less liquid.
Imagine that a company announces the approval of its new vaccine a few milliseconds before the periodic trade occurs. As an HFT firm, you have the technology to enter, cancel, or modify your orders before the periodic auction takes place, while less sophisticated players remain oblivious to what just happened. The same applies to price movements on venues trading the same instrument, its derivatives, or even correlated assets in different parts of the world.
On the other hand, you risk increasing price volatility (especially in cases where there is an imbalance between buyers and sellers during the periodic auction) and making markets less liquid.