We assess the quality of opening and closing prices for Nasdaq stocks by examining the effect that opening and closing call auctions (introduced in 2004) have had on price formation. Our use of measurement intervals of one minute or less sharpens the picture of intra-day volatility...

Order revelation is a non-trivial process that depends on a market's rules of order handling and order information disclosure. As participants reveal their orders for a stock to a market, the book gets deeper, price is discovered, and trading volume (quantity) is “found.” However, for large...

Electronic call auctions are used globally to open and close equity market trading; as such, they are a critically important facility that needs to be better understood. The paper focuses on the impact NASDAQ's calls (introduced in 2004) have had on bid-ask spreads, price volatility, and order...

Bank consolidation is a global phenomenon. It may enhance the value of firms in the industry if, for example, it is driven by scale and scope economies, but skeptics often accuse bankers of sacrificing value to build empires. Using data on bank holding companies in the U.S., we find strong...

Using a sample of 241 U.S. bank holding companies, we test all relevant rationales for corporate risk-management activities related to interest rate risk. Three main results emerge: (1) measurement error and the possibility of multiple influences on the model's proxy variables indicate that the...

Commercial banks leverage their equity capital with demandable debt that participates in the economy's payments system. The distinctive nature of this debt generates an unusual degree of liquidity risk that can, at times, threaten the payments system. To reduce this threat, insurance protects...

Bank consolidation is a global phenomenon that may enhance stakeholders’ value if managers do not sacrifice value to build empires. We find strong evidence of managerial entrenchment at U.S. bank holding companies that have higher levels of managerial ownership, better growth opportunities,...