| Abstract: | We develop a model in which limit order traders possess volatilityinformation. We show that in this case the size of the bid–askspread is informative about future volatility. Moreover, ifvolatility information is in part private, we establish that(i) the size of the bid–ask spread and (ii) its informativenessabout future volatility should change in the same directionwhen limit order traders' identifiers stop being disclosed.We test these predictions using data from the Paris Bourse.As expected, we find that the average quoted spread and itsinformativeness are significantly smaller when limit order traders'identifiers are concealed. These findings suggest that the limitorder book is a channel for volatility information. |
