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What drives the liquidity of cryptocurrencies? A long-term analysis

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  • Brauneis, Alexander
  • Mestel, Roland
  • Theissen, Erik

Abstract

We analyze the liquidity of four cryptocurrencies on four large trading venues over a four-year period. We estimate the Abdi-Ranaldo spread estimator from hourly transactions data and compare liquidity across cryptocurrencies and exchanges. In order to identify the drivers of cryptocurrency liquidity we analyze a broad set of explanatory variables from general financial markets, global cryptocurrency markets as well as variables specific to each exchange-currency pair. Volatility of cryptocurrency returns, the dollar trading volume and the number of transactions are the most important determinants of liquidity while general financial market variables have no explanatory power.

Suggested Citation

  • Brauneis, Alexander & Mestel, Roland & Theissen, Erik, 2021. "What drives the liquidity of cryptocurrencies? A long-term analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:39:y:2021:i:c:s154461231931400x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2020.101537
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Abrar, Afsheen & Naeem, Muhammad Abubakr & Karim, Sitara & Lucey, Brian M. & Vigne, Samuel A., 2024. "Shining in or fading out: Do precious metals sparkle for cryptocurrencies?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    2. Böyükaslan, Adem & Ecer, Fatih, 2021. "Determination of drivers for investing in cryptocurrencies through a fuzzy full consistency method-Bonferroni (FUCOM-F’B) framework," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    3. Manahov, Viktor & Li, Mingnan, 2024. "The implications of virtual money on travel and tourism," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    4. Almeida, José & Gonçalves, Tiago Cruz, 2023. "A systematic literature review of investor behavior in the cryptocurrency markets," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    5. Thomas Dimpfl & Stefania Odelli, 2020. "Bitcoin Price Risk—A Durations Perspective," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Konstantin Hausler, 2022. "ETF construction on CRIX," Papers 2211.15260, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2023.
    7. Kumar Kulbhaskar, Anamika & Subramaniam, Sowmya, 2023. "Breaking news headlines: Impact on trading activity in the cryptocurrency market," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    8. Ahmed, Walid M.A., 2022. "Robust drivers of Bitcoin price movements: An extreme bounds analysis," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cryptocurrencies; Liquidity; Bid-ask spread; Spread estimators; Determinants of liquidity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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