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How rigged are stock markets? Evidence from microsecond timestamps

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  • Bartlett, Robert P.
  • McCrary, Justin

Abstract

Using new data from the two U.S. securities information processors (SIPs) between August 6, 2015 and June 30, 2016, we examine claims that high-frequency trading (HFT) firms use direct feeds to exploit traders who rely on SIP prices. Across $3.7 trillion of trades in the Dow Jones 30, the SIPs report quote updates from exchanges 1,128 μs after they occur. However, the SIP-reported National Best Bid and Offer (NBBO) matches the NBBO calculated without reporting latencies in 97% of all SIP-priced trades. Liquidity-taking orders gain on average $0.0002/share when priced at the SIP-reported NBBO rather than the instantaneous NBBO, but aggregate gross profits are just $14.4 million. These findings indicate that direct feed arbitrage is not a meaningful source of HFT profits, nor can it explain the arms race for trading speed.

Suggested Citation

  • Bartlett, Robert P. & McCrary, Justin, 2019. "How rigged are stock markets? Evidence from microsecond timestamps," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 37-60.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finmar:v:45:y:2019:i:c:p:37-60
    DOI: 10.1016/j.finmar.2019.06.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Foley, Sean & Kwan, Amy & Philip, Richard & Ødegaard, Bernt Arne, 2022. "Contagious margin calls: How COVID-19 threatened global stock market liquidity," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 59(PA).
    2. Joel Hasbrouck, 2021. "Price Discovery in High Resolution," Journal of Financial Econometrics, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(3), pages 395-430.
    3. Brian F Tivnan & David Rushing Dewhurst & Colin M Van Oort & John H Ring IV & Tyler J Gray & Brendan F Tivnan & Matthew T K Koehler & Matthew T McMahon & David M Slater & Jason G Veneman & Christopher, 2020. "Fragmentation and inefficiencies in US equity markets: Evidence from the Dow 30," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-24, January.
    4. Matteo Aquilina & Sean Foley & Peter O'Neill & Matteo Thomas Ruf, 2023. "Sharks in the dark: quantifying HFT dark pool latency arbitrage," BIS Working Papers 1115, Bank for International Settlements.
    5. Peter B. Lerner, 2022. "Fourier Integral Operator Model of Market Liquidity: The Chinese Experience 2009–2010," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(14), pages 1-25, July.
    6. Allen Carrion & Madhuparna Kolay, 2020. "Trade signing in fast markets," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 55(3), pages 385-404, August.
    7. Bartlett, Robert P. & McCrary, Justin & O'Hara, Maureen, 2024. "Tiny trades, big questions: Fractional shares," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    8. Peter Lerner, 2022. "The market drives ETFs or ETFs the market: causality without Granger," Papers 2204.03760, arXiv.org.
    9. P. B. Lerner, 2020. "Dual State-Space Model of Market Liquidity: The Chinese Experience 2009-2010," Papers 2004.06200, arXiv.org, revised May 2020.
    10. Andriy Shkilko & Konstantin Sokolov, 2020. "Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining: Fast Trading, Microwave Connectivity, and Trading Costs," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 75(6), pages 2899-2927, December.
    11. Peter B. Lerner, 2021. "Transmission of Trading Orders through Communication Line with Relativistic Delay," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, February.
    12. Bidisha Chakrabarty & Pankaj K. Jain & Andriy Shkilko & Konstantin Sokolov, 2021. "Unfiltered Market Access and Liquidity: Evidence from the SEC Rule 15c3-5," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(2), pages 1183-1198, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Latency arbitrage; High-frequency trading; SIP; Market structure;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Business and Securities Law

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