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Alvaro Escribano . Roberto Pascual<br />

Asymmetries <strong>in</strong> bid and ask responses<br />

to <strong>in</strong>novations <strong>in</strong> the trad<strong>in</strong>g process<br />

Abstract This paper proposes a new approach to jo<strong>in</strong>tly model the trad<strong>in</strong>g process<br />

and the revisions <strong>of</strong> market quotes. This method accommodates asymmetries <strong>in</strong> the<br />

dynamics <strong>of</strong> ask and bid quotes after trade-related shocks. The empirical specification<br />

is a vector error correction (VEC) model for ask and bid quotes, with the<br />

spread as the co-<strong>in</strong>tegrat<strong>in</strong>g vector, and with an endogenous trad<strong>in</strong>g process. This<br />

model extends the vector autoregressive (VAR) model <strong>in</strong>troduced by Hasbrouck<br />

(Hasbrouck J (1991) Measur<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>formation content <strong>of</strong> stock trades. J F<strong>in</strong>ance<br />

46:179–207). We provide evidence aga<strong>in</strong>st several symmetry assumptions, very<br />

familiar among microstructure models. We report asymmetric adjustments <strong>of</strong> ask<br />

and bid prices to trade-related shocks, and asymmetric impacts <strong>of</strong> buyer and seller<strong>in</strong>itiated<br />

trades. In general, buys are more <strong>in</strong>formative than sells. The likelihood <strong>of</strong><br />

symmetric quote responses <strong>in</strong>creases with volatility. We show that our f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs are<br />

robust across different model specifications, time frequencies, and trad<strong>in</strong>g periods.<br />

Moreover, we f<strong>in</strong>d similar asymmetries <strong>in</strong> markets with different microstructures.<br />

Keywords Market microstructure . Bid and ask time series . VEC models .<br />

Adverse-selection costs . Asymmetric dynamics<br />

JEL Classification G1<br />

This paper has benefited from the support <strong>of</strong> the Spanish DGICYT project #PB98-0030 and the<br />

European Project on VPM-Improv<strong>in</strong>g Human Research Potential, HPRN-CT-2002-00232. The authors<br />

are grateful for the comments received from an anonymous referee and from Mikel Tapia, Ignacio Peña,<br />

W<strong>in</strong>fried Pohlmeier and the attendants to the Econometrics Research Sem<strong>in</strong>ar at C.O.R.E., Université<br />

Catholique de Louva<strong>in</strong>, Belgium. We also appreciate the suggestions <strong>of</strong> participants at the CAF Market<br />

Microstructure and High Frequency Data <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>ance Workshop, August 2001, Sønderborg (Denmark),<br />

and the European F<strong>in</strong>ancial Association Meet<strong>in</strong>g, August 2001, Barcelona (Spa<strong>in</strong>)<br />

A. Escribano (*)<br />

Departament <strong>of</strong> Economics, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, C/Madrid 126, Getafe, 28903<br />

Madrid, Spa<strong>in</strong><br />

E-mail: alvaroe@eco.uc3m.es<br />

R. Pascual<br />

Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Universidad de las Islas Baleares, Madrid, Spa<strong>in</strong><br />

E-mail: rpascual@uib.es

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