Measuring market liquidity: an introductory survey

Gabrielsen, Alexandros and Marzo, Massimiliano and Zagaglia, Paolo (2011): Measuring market liquidity: an introductory survey.

Abstract

Asset liquidity in modern financial markets is a key but elusive concept. A market is often said to be liquid when the prevailing structure of transactions provides a prompt and secure link between the demand and supply of assets, thus delivering low costs of transaction. Providing a rigorous and empirically relevant definition of market liquidity has, however, provided to be a difficult task. This paper provides a critical review of the frameworks currently available for modelling and estimating the market liquidity of assets. We consider definitions that stress the role of the bid-ask spread and the estimation of its components that arise from alternative sources of market friction. In this case, intra-daily measures of liquidity appear relevant for capturing the core features of a market, and for their ability to describe the arrival of new information to market participants.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: market microstructure; liquidity risk; frictions; transaction costs
• Subjects: G - Financial Economics > G1 - General Financial Markets; G - Financial Economics > G1 - General Financial Markets > G12 - Asset Pricing ; Trading Volume ; Bond Interest Rates; G - Financial Economics > G1 - General Financial Markets > G10 - General

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