This paper examines how multidimensional private information by asset sellers affects market equilibrium. I find that when asset quality is the only source of private information, sellers with high-quality assets signal their quality to buyers through partial retention of assets if and only if...

This paper develops a simple competitive search model to study illiquidity and partial retention of assets as signals of asset quality in markets with private information. I find that both signals are used in equilibrium. However, for sellers with high-quality assets, illiquidity is preferred...