New Bid-Ask Spread Estimators from Daily High and Low Prices

In this paper, we introduce two low frequency bid-ask spread estimators using daily high and low transaction prices. The range of mid-prices is an increasing function of the sampling interval, while the bid-ask spread and the relationship between trading direction and the mid-price are not constrained by it and are therefore independent. Monte Carlo simulations and data analysis from the equity and foreign exchange markets demonstrate that these models significantly out-perform the most widely used low-frequency estimators, such as those proposed in Corwin and Schultz (2012) and most recently in Abdi and Ranaldo (2017). We illustrate how our models can be applied to deduce historical market liquidity in NYSE, UK, Hong Kong and the Thai stock markets. Our estimator can also effectively act as a gauge for market volatility and as a measure of liquidity risk in asset pricing.