The use of computers to execute trades, often with very low latency, has increased over time, resulting in a variety of computer algorithms executing electronically targeted trading strategies at high speed. We describe the evolution of increasingly fast automated trading over the past decade...

Modern physics has demonstrated that matter behaves very differently as it approaches the speed of light. This paper explores the implications of modern physics to the operation and regulation of financial markets. Information cannot move faster than the speed of light. The geographic separation...

This paper provides evidence on the benefits of faster proprietary data feeds from stock exchanges over the regulated “public” consolidated data feeds. We measure and compare the National Best Bid and Offer (NBBO) prices in each data feed at the same data center. Price dislocations between...

We survey empirical studies on the development and effects of increased computerization across equity, foreign exchange, derivatives, and fixed-income markets. While the changes in the trading process due to computerization in less liquid markets such as the corporate bond market have been...

This paper studies whether high-frequency trading (HFT) increases the execution costs of institutional investors. We use technology upgrades that lower the latency of the London Stock Exchange to obtain variation in the level of HFT over time. Following upgrades, the level of HFT increases....

High-frequency trading has led to widespread efforts to reduce information propagation delays between physically distant exchanges. Using relativistically correct millisecond-resolution tick data, we document a three millisecond decrease in one-way communication time between the Chicago and New...

The arrival of high-frequency traders (HFTs) coincided with the entry of new markets and, subsequently, strong fragmentation of the order flow. These trends might be related as new markets serve HFTs who seek low fees and high speed. New markets only thrive on competitive price quotes that...

This paper examines the order submission strategies and supply of liquidity by high-frequency participants versus the remainder of participants in the limit order book. The results show that high-frequency participants submit orders at multiple prices in the limit order book, concentrated at or...

Using comprehensive electronic data collected directly from NASDAQ systems, we assess the impact of changes in electronic message traffic on predicting short-term changes in prices, spreads and quoted depth levels. We document evidence that message traffic at, and nearby, the inside quotes...