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Financial Market Misconduct and Public Enforcement: The Case of Libor Manipulation

Author

Listed:
  • Priyank Gandhi

    (Rutgers Business School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854)

  • Benjamin Golez

    (Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556)

  • Jens Carsten Jackwerth

    (University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany)

  • Alberto Plazzi

    (Università della Svizzera italiana and Swiss Finance Institute, Lugano 6900 Switzerland)

Abstract

Using comprehensive data on London Interbank Offer Rate (Libor) submissions from 2001 through 2012, we provide evidence consistent with banks manipulating Libor to profit from Libor-related positions and to signal their creditworthiness during distressed times. Evidence of manipulation is stronger for banks that were eventually sanctioned by regulators and disappears for all banks in the aftermath of the Libor investigations that began in 2010. Our findings suggest that the threat of large penalties and the loss of reputation that accompany public enforcement can be effective in deterring financial market misconduct.

Suggested Citation

  • Priyank Gandhi & Benjamin Golez & Jens Carsten Jackwerth & Alberto Plazzi, 2019. "Financial Market Misconduct and Public Enforcement: The Case of Libor Manipulation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(11), pages 5268-5289, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:65:y:2019:i:11:p:5268-5289
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2018.3065
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas B. King & Kurt F. Lewis, 2020. "Credit Risk, Liquidity, and Lies," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 16(5), pages 219-267, October.
    2. Michele Fabrizi & Xing Huan & Antonio Parbonetti, 2021. "When LIBOR becomes LIEBOR: Reputational penalties and bank contagion," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 56(1), pages 157-178, February.
    3. Zsuzsanna Győri & Yahya Khan & Krisztina Szegedi, 2021. "Business Model and Principles of a Values-Based Bank—Case Study of MagNet Hungarian Community Bank," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-27, August.
    4. Kirti, Divya, 2022. "What are reference rates for?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Li, Ming & Sun, Hang & Zong, Jichuan, 2021. "Intertemporal imitation behavior of interbank offered rate submissions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    6. Kryzanowski, Lawrence & Perrakis, Stylianos & Zhong, Rui, 2021. "Financial oligopolies and parallel exclusion in the credit default swap markets," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    7. Louis, Philippos & Núñez, Matías & Xefteris, Dimitrios, 2023. "Trimming extreme reports in preference aggregation," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 116-151.
    8. Nuria Boot & Timo Klein & Maarten Pieter Schinkel, 2017. "Collusive Benchmark Rates Fixing," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 17-122/VII, Tinbergen Institute, revised 17 Apr 2019.
    9. Nuria Boot & Timo Klein & Maarten Pieter Schinkel, 2017. "Collusive Benchmark Rates Fixing," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1715, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    10. Robert Jarrow & Siguang Li, 2023. "Interest rate swaps: a comparison of compounded daily versus discrete reference rates," Review of Derivatives Research, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Rita Rodríguez‐Arrojo & Manuel Luna & Camilo J. Vázquez‐Ordás & Myriam García‐Olalla, 2024. "Mapping research on corporate misconduct in banking: Lessons from literature on preventive and punitive actions," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S1), pages 62-75, March.
    12. Herrera, Rubén & Climent, Francisco & Carmona, Pedro & Momparler, Alexandre, 2022. "The manipulation of Euribor: An analysis with machine learning classification techniques," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    13. Pontines, Victor & Rummel, Ole, 2023. "LIBOR meets machine learning: A Lasso regression approach to detecting data irregularities," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    14. Jiyoung Lee & Jung Jae Kim & Jinook Jeong, 2022. "An Empirical Assessment of Collusion in the Negotiable Certificates of Deposit Market in Korea: A Discriminant Analysis," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 36(2), pages 203-223, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Libor; manipulation; financial market misconduct; enforcement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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