In response to the 1975 Congressional call for a national market system to provide a transparent link across individual markets that trade NYSE-listed stocks, the SEC caused the implementation of three electronic systems that provide a partial integration of these markets. This partial...

This study examines the liquidity of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), as measured by their bid-ask spread. We find that REIT spreads have increased over the period 1986-1990, are inversely related to market capitalization, and are similar in magnitude to spreads on other stocks of...

We find direct evidence that institutions increase round-trip stock trades, increase average commissions per share, and pay unusually high commissions on some trades in order to send abnormally high commissions to the lead underwriters of profitable initial public offerings (IPOs). These excess...

The institutional brokerage industry faces an ever-increasing pressure to lower trading costs, which has already driven down average commissions and shifted volume toward low-cost execution venues. However, traditional full-service brokers that bundle execution with services remain a force and...

The study investigates competition in the market for NASDAQ stocks during a recent period in US equity markets history when three major Electronic Communication Networks (ECNs)--Archipelago, Island, and Instinet--are identifiable in the Trade and Quote (TAQ) database. We show that the ECNs...

We find dividends do matter to shareholders, but more in declining markets than advancing ones. Dividend-paying stocks outperform non-dividend-paying stocks by 1 to 2% more per month in declining markets than in advancing markets. These results are economically and statistically significant and...