An Empirical Analysis of Quoted Depths of NYSE and Amex Stocks

In this study, we find strong intertemporal/cross-sectional correlations between quoted depths and various security characteristics for a sample of stocks listed on the NYSE and Amex. Our empirical results indicate that although specialists are generally unable to discern insider trading as it occurs, they cope with insider trading by posting smaller depths for stocks with a greater tendency of insider trading. Empirical evidence also indicates that specialists/limit order traders quote smaller depths for riskier stocks to limit potential losses to better-informed traders. In addition, we find that specialists/limit order traders quote larger depths for stocks with greater trading volume, larger market capitalization, and higher competition. Overall, our findings suggest that depths are an important means through which specialists and limit order traders deal with the adverse selection problem, order processing problem, and competition.     

深市买卖价差逆向选择成分的估算与分析

本文以深市150家上市公司为样本，估算买卖价差逆向选择成分，研究逆向选择成分与公司特征之间的关系，并探讨其日内变化模式。研究发现信息不对称对深市买卖价差的贡献度为39％。公司规模越大，其股票的逆向选择成分越小；逆向选择成分随着交易量水平的上升而降低；高价股的逆向选择成分比低价股低。总体而言，逆向选择成分在早市呈现“倒U”型，在午市呈现“L”型。逆向选择成分与公司特征之问的关系及逆向选择成分的日内变动模式的实证分析结果，符合信息不对称与公司特征之问的逻辑关系及信息不对称的日内变动模式。     

夯实做市商制度建设协力推进外汇市场发展

近年来,外汇市场汇价波幅逐步有序拓宽,而面对不断扩大的汇率波幅,一些做市机构的交易员出现了不适应的情况。文章指出,外汇做市商制度的切实履行和健全完善,对于规范做市交易与市场良性交易氛围的形成和推广,具有至关重要的作用。文章介绍了我国外汇市场建立做市商制度的目的、所采取的相关配套制度改革,展望做市商考评机制的改进方向,并就进一步规范外汇市场发展提出相关倡议。     

保险市场逆向选择的信号传递博弈研究

在保险市场中,投保人比保险人更了解自己的风险状况,保险双方之间的这种信息不对称难以避免地会产生逆向选择问题,于是在保险人混同定价的情形下,低风险投保人要承受过高的费率而受损,高风险投保人因保险成本过低而削弱控制风险的激励,导致整个市场资源配置低效甚至因逆向选择螺旋而崩溃。通过引入信号传递机制来实现保险市场的分离定价,从...     

Requiem for a Market Maker: The Case of Drexel Burnham Lambert and Junk Bonds

This article adds to both the financial intermediation and market microstructure literature by examining the market reactions surrounding the withdrawal of a major financial intermediary and market maker from a specific securities market. We examine the exit of Drexel Burnham Lambert (Drexel) from the junk bond market in 1990. At the time Drexel exited the market by declaring bankruptcy, it was the dominant market maker and underwriter of junk bonds. We examine the impact of Drexel's failure on direct and indirect holders of junk bonds by investigating the effect of Drexel's collapse on junk bond returns, and on the stock returns of a group of firms that, on average, held significant amounts of junk bonds. We find that the collapse of Drexel had a significant impact on junk bond prices in general, and a greater impact on the prices of lower-quality junk bonds in particular. We interpret this result to imply that the value of the liquidity services supplied by Drexel was higher for lower-quality junk bonds. Additionally, we find that junk bonds underwritten by Drexel, as opposed to other investment banks, experienced a significant decline in price over the months leading up to Drexel's failure announcement. This suggests that the monitoring services provided by Drexel for the bonds it underwrote would not be replaced easily by other financial intermediaries operating in the junk bond market. Our results also indicate that the stock returns of life insurance companies with relatively high junk bond exposure tended to be affected more negatively by Drexel's financial distress than the stock returns of life insurance companies with relatively low junk bond exposure.     

Effectiveness and Market Reaction to the Stock Exchange's Inquiry in Australia

Abstract:  This paper examines a unique stock market monitoring program used by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) . When the ASX observes unusual share price or trading volume changes of a listed company, it sends a letter demanding an explanation. Companies need to respond publicly to several stylized questions. Such public communications between the stock exchange and listed companies contain information. This paper documents how companies respond to the ASX inquiry and how the market reacts to the replies. It is found that some companies do release new information to the market when asked. After the firm's reply is posted, the average trading volume and the bid-ask spread are reduced, and in most cases, the share price is also stabilized with the following two exceptions: (1) The price will continue to rally on average if the company releases only partial information when questioned after a significant price jump; (2) The downward price trend will be reversed if the company states that no new information could explain the decline. Furthermore, there are statistically significant, positive abnormal returns for the first five trading days, which are not conditional upon the replies firms give to the ASX inquiries.     

The Impact of Regulation Fair Disclosure on Information Asymmetry and Trading: An Intraday Analysis

This study examines the impact of Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) on liquidity, information asymmetry, and institutional and retail investors trading behavior. Our main findings suggest three conclusions. First, Regulation FD has been effective in improving liquidity and in decreasing the level of information asymmetry. Second, retail trading activity increases dramatically after earnings announcements but there is a significant decline in institutional trading surrounding earnings announcements, particularly in the pre‐announcement period. Last, the decline in information asymmetry around earnings announcements is closely associated with a lower participation rate in the pre‐announcement period and more active trading of retail investors after earnings releases.     

信息不对称下信贷市场的惜贷与挤出效应

通过收集和处理借贷平台日常运行中形成的真实数据,本文发现信息不对称条件下信贷市场逆向选择会导致市场萎缩的两类效应;其一为\"惜贷\"效应:随着信息不对称程度的加深,借贷双方最终达成的合约额度降低和交易匹配时间延长,市场的有效供给萎缩;其二为\"挤出\"效应:随着信息不对称程度的恶化,借贷双方合约的利率将会升高、期限缩短,市场的...     

行政操控、投机主导与股市困境——中国股票市场20年回顾

规范的股票市场具有筹措资金、优化资源配置、改善公司治理、价格发现及促进经济发展等重要功能,是国民经济的“晴雨表”。由于上市公司违规猖獗加之市场监管不力,中国股票市场成为造假圈钱、投机冒险、杀贫济富、权贵洗钱的场所。20年当中既没有成就一家世界级企业,也没有引发全民财富效应。相反,它浪费社会资源,将中产阶级打回原形,严重伤害民众参与改革的热情。     

Single stock futures: Listing selection and trading volume

On November 8, 2002, two new exchanges, OneChicago and NQLX, began trading single stock futures (SSFs). We study how these exchanges choose the listed products. The selection process is consistent with the objective of maximizing the market opening success. The estimated probability of listing is a good predictor of the single stock futures' post-listing success, as measured by their trading volume in the first year.     

An Empirical Analysis on Log-Utility Asset Management

In this paper, we empirically verify the optimal portfolio schemes for the log-utility investor under incomplete information which converge to the optimal portfolio maximizing the expected log-utility under complete information. That is, our main interest lies in examining whether these schemes really attain the above desired properties, in the NYSE/AMEX stock market. With these properties regarded as performance measures, our empirical research is executed through a sensitivity analysis with transaction costs. Moreover, we show the interesting character of the U.S. stock market exhibited through the analysis.     

Do Market Makers Suffer from Splitting Headaches?

Studies of transactions surrounding stock split ex-dates often conclude that splitting firms either experience a decline or an improvement in their stock's liquidity, based on independent measures of trading costs and trading activity. In contrast, our evidence suggests that splits from outside into what often is deemed to be the optimal stock price range of $10.00 to $39.99 are nonevents for market makers: The spread-setting behavior of the market does not change after a split. Our analysis accounts for the interdependencies between bid-ask spreads and market microstructure effects and distinguishes between optimal and all other splitting firms.     

保险市场逆向选择与顺向选择共存研究

保险市场存在着逆向选择。经典逆向选择模型认为,风险高的人会购买更多的保险,但大多数实证研究表明保险市场还存在顺向选择。本文认为,逆向选择和顺向选择虽然对立,但共存于保险市场,在此基础上构建保险市场均衡模型,并进行了仿真研究。     

Mortgage Refinancing,Adverse Selection,and FHA's Streamline Program

When interest rates decline, borrowers whose houses have appreciated significantly refinance out of FHA, while those whose houses have not do not. We provide evidence of the negative impact of regular (nonstreamline) refinancing in the mid-1980s on the average quality of FHA's surviving business. We demonstrate this adverse selection both informally and econometrically. We also argue that the sharp reduction in the cost of streamline refinancing (limited documentation, no required appraisal, and so on) in FHA's streamline refinance program in 1992 likely reduced the level of adverse selection in the FHA portfolio during the 1993 to 1994 refinancing boom, and we provide quantitative estimates of the resultant reduction in claim rates. While this reduction in cost almost certainly increased the financial viability of FHA during the middle 1990s, it may not in the long run.     

Competition and Information Production in Market Maker Models

Abstract:   The microstructure literature models the mechanisms through which fundamental information is incorporated into market prices. This paper extends previous models by endogenising information production and analysing incentives for costly information production. In contrast to the existing literature, increasing the number of informed traders can result in reduced price informativeness. When prices have an allocative role this has welfare consequences: the regulatory implications of a dichotomy between private and public incentives for information gathering are discussed.