The stock markets are not as black as you see them based on your exposure to a much uglier commodity market where players are assumed to be expert and have their eyes open.  For example, commod players are not only allowed but are expected to be trading based on info not widely known in the market.  That's illegal in the stock markets.  If your company is about to announce a new product, it cannot do a big stock buyback the day before.  If your refinery is burning, you can buy like hell if you can move faster than the others.

Real hedgers have opportunity to avoid game playing, they just have to not get talked into badly designed instruments/strategies marketed by exchanges like the IPE.