IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/oup/revfin/v7y2003i1p1-26..html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trader Anonymity, Price Formation and Liquidity

Author

Listed:
  • Erik Theissen

Abstract

Using data from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange we analyze price formation and liquidity in a non-anonymous environment with similarities to the floor of the NYSE. Our main hypothesis is that the non-anonymity allows the specialist to assess the probability that a trader trades on the basis of private information. He uses this knowledge to price discriminate. This can be achieved by quoting a large spread and granting price improvement to traders deemed uninformed. Consistent with our hypothesis we find that price improvement reflects lower adverse selection costs but does not lead to a reduction in the specialist's profit. Further, the quote adjustment following transactions at the quoted bid or ask price is more pronounced than the quote adjustment after transactions at prices inside the spread. Our results indicate that anonymity comes at the cost of higher adverse selection risk. JEL Classification: G10.

Suggested Citation

  • Erik Theissen, 2003. "Trader Anonymity, Price Formation and Liquidity," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 7(1), pages 1-26.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:revfin:v:7:y:2003:i:1:p:1-26.
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1023/A:1022579423978
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Harris, Jeffrey H. & Schultz, Paul H., 1997. "The importance of firm quotes and rapid executions: Evidence from the January 1994 SOES rules change," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 135-166, July.
    2. Seppi, Duane J, 1990. "Equilibrium Block Trading and Asymmetric Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 45(1), pages 73-94, March.
    3. Erik Theissen, 2002. "Floor versus Screen Trading: Evidence from the German Stock Market," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 158(1), pages 32-54, March.
    4. de Jong, F.C.J.M. & Nijman, T.E. & Röell, A.A., 1996. "Price effects of trading and components of the bid-ask spread on the Paris Bourse," Other publications TiSEM 08f5fa19-14b7-4bc8-ba07-1, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Madhavan, Ananth, 1996. "Security Prices and Market Transparency," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 255-283, July.
    6. Huang, Roger D. & Stoll, Hans R., 1996. "Dealer versus auction markets: A paired comparison of execution costs on NASDAQ and the NYSE," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 313-357, July.
    7. Brock, William A. & Kleidon, Allan W., 1992. "Periodic market closure and trading volume : A model of intraday bids and asks," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 16(3-4), pages 451-489.
    8. Theissen, Erik, 2001. "A test of the accuracy of the Lee/Ready trade classification algorithm," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 147-165, June.
    9. Nicholas Economides & Robert A. Schwartz,, "undated". "Equity Trading Practices and Market Structure: Assessing Asset Managers' Demand for Immediacy," Financial Networks 9508, Economics of Networks.
    10. Madhavan, Ananth & Cheng, Minder, 1997. "In Search of Liquidity: Block Trades in the Upstairs and Downstairs Markets," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 10(1), pages 175-203.
    11. Grammig, Joachim & Schiereck, Dirk & Theissen, Erik, 2001. "Knowing me, knowing you: : Trader anonymity and informed trading in parallel markets," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 385-412, October.
    12. Lee, Charles M C & Ready, Mark J, 1991. "Inferring Trade Direction from Intraday Data," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(2), pages 733-746, June.
    13. G. Geoffrey Booth & Ji-Chai Lin & Teppo Martikainen & Yiuman Tse, 2002. "Trading and Pricing in Upstairs and Downstairs Stock Markets," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 15(4), pages 1111-1135.
    14. Glosten, Lawrence R, 1989. "Insider Trading, Liquidity, and the Role of the Monopolist Specialist," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 62(2), pages 211-235, April.
    15. de Jong, Frank & Nijman, Theo & Roell, Ailsa, 1996. "Price effects of trading and components of the bid-ask spread on the Paris Bourse," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 193-213, June.
    16. Easley, David & O'Hara, Maureen, 1987. "Price, trade size, and information in securities markets," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 69-90, September.
    17. Brian F. Smith & D. Alasdair S. Turnbull & Robert W. White, 2001. "Upstairs Market for Principal and Agency Trades: Analysis of Adverse Information and Price Effects," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(5), pages 1723-1746, October.
    18. G. Desgranges & T. Foucault, 2001. "Price Improvements in Financial Markets as a Screening Device," THEMA Working Papers 2001-06, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.
    19. Petersen, Mitchell A. & Fialkowski, David, 1994. "Posted versus effective spreads *1: Good prices or bad quotes?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 269-292, June.
    20. Ready, Mark J, 1999. "The Specialist's Discretion: Stopped Orders and Price Improvement," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 12(5), pages 1075-1112.
    21. Manaster, Steven & Mann, Steven C, 1996. "Life in the Pits: Competitive Market Making and Inventory Control," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(3), pages 953-975.
    22. Benveniste, Lawrence M. & Marcus, Alan J. & Wilhelm, William J., 1992. "What's special about the specialist?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 61-86, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ledenyov, Dimitri O. & Ledenyov, Viktor O., 2015. "Wave function method to forecast foreign currencies exchange rates at ultra high frequency electronic trading in foreign currencies exchange markets," MPRA Paper 67470, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Biais, Bruno & Glosten, Larry & Spatt, Chester, 2005. "Market microstructure: A survey of microfoundations, empirical results, and policy implications," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 217-264, May.
    3. Comerton-Forde, Carole & Tang, Kar Mei, 2009. "Anonymity, liquidity and fragmentation," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 337-367, August.
    4. Jagjeev Dosanjh, 2017. "Exchange Initiatives and Market Efficiency: Evidence from the Australian Securities Exchange," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 1-2017, January-A.
    5. repec:uts:finphd:34 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Grammig, Joachim & Schiereck, Dirk & Theissen, Erik, 2001. "Knowing me, knowing you: : Trader anonymity and informed trading in parallel markets," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 385-412, October.
    7. Kaun Y. Lee & Kee H. Chung, 2009. "Information-Based Trading and Price Improvement," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(5-6), pages 754-773.
    8. Hatheway, Frank & Kwan, Amy & Zheng, Hui, 2017. "An Empirical Analysis of Market Segmentation on U.S. Equity Markets," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(6), pages 2399-2427, December.
    9. Duong, Huu Nhan & Kalev, Petko S., 2013. "Anonymity and order submissions," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 101-118.
    10. Christiane Goodfellow & Martin T. Bohl, 2011. "Forestalling Floor Closure: Evidence from a Natural Experiment on the German Stock Market," Post-Print hal-00676103, HAL.
    11. G. Wuyts, 2007. "Stock Market Liquidity.Determinants and Implications," Review of Business and Economic Literature, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Review of Business and Economic Literature, vol. 0(2), pages 279-316.
    12. Murgia, Maurizio & Pinna, Andrea & Gottardo, Pietro & Bosetti, Luisella, 2019. "The impact of large orders in electronic markets," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 174-192.
    13. Madhavan, Ananth, 2000. "Market microstructure: A survey," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 205-258, August.
    14. Kaun Y. Lee & Kee H. Chung, 2009. "Information‐Based Trading and Price Improvement," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(5‐6), pages 754-773, June.
    15. Frantisek Kopriva, 2008. "Source of Information-Driven Trading on the Prague Stock Exchange," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp365, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    16. Bikker, Jacob A. & Spierdijk, Laura & van der Sluis, Pieter Jelle, 2007. "Market impact costs of institutional equity trades," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 974-1000, October.
    17. Goodhart, Charles A. E. & O'Hara, Maureen, 1997. "High frequency data in financial markets: Issues and applications," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 4(2-3), pages 73-114, June.
    18. DESGRANGES, Gabriel & FOUCAULT, Thierry, 2000. "Reputation-based pricing and price improvements in dealership markets," HEC Research Papers Series 716, HEC Paris, revised 01 Mar 2002.
    19. Peter Gomber & Satchit Sagade & Erik Theissen & Moritz Christian Weber & Christian Westheide, 2017. "Competition Between Equity Markets: A Review Of The Consolidation Versus Fragmentation Debate," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 792-814, July.
    20. Erik Theissen, 2002. "Floor versus Screen Trading: Evidence from the German Stock Market," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 158(1), pages 32-54, March.
    21. Murphy Jun Jie Lee, 2013. "The Microstructure of Trading Processes on the Singapore Exchange," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 2-2013, January-A.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:oup:revfin:v:7:y:2003:i:1:p:1-26.. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Oxford University Press (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/eufaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.