Asymetric Information and the Foreign-Exchange Trades of Global Custody Banks

We analyze currency trading between custody banks and their client funds, a trading situation notable for extreme opacity and ongoing legal disputes about reputedly high markups. We propose a “shrouding” model of liquidity provision in which prices are set relative to the day’s extrema to preserve client uncertainty about execution costs. Using the complete 2006 currency trading record of a custody bank, we support this hypothesis with numerous tests. Our analysis of the client funds indicates that they recognize the high costs of standard custodial trades and raises the possibility that they trade through custodians to shroud execution-cost information from underlying investors.