Inventory Management by Corporate Bond Dealers

40 Pages Posted: 12 May 2017

Date Written: May 11, 2017

Abstract

In over-the-counter markets, dealer willingness to hold inventory is synonymous with liquidity provision. Using actively-traded corporate bonds over 2005-2014, I show that dealers often avoid taking bonds into inventory by prearranging trades. Dealers who take longer to unwind inventory prearrange more trades. Investors receive higher prices selling to dealers who prearrange trades and pay lower prices buying from them. Dealers unwind inventory mostly through interdealer trades. After the Volcker Rule was finalized, dealers were more reluctant to takes bonds into inventory, were more likely to offset trades within a day, and unwound inventory positions more quickly.

Keywords: over-the-counter market, dealer market, liquidity, corporate bond, Volcker Rule

JEL Classification: G0, G28

Suggested Citation

Schultz, Paul, Inventory Management by Corporate Bond Dealers (May 11, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2966919 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2966919

Paul Schultz (Contact Author)

University of Notre Dame ( email )

361 Mendoza College of Business
Notre Dame, IN 46556-5646
United States

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