Comovement, Liquidity and Asymmetries

Abstract

Substantially increased institutional investing and index trading in the U.S. stock market have a meaningful impact on the mechanical relationship between return co-movement and liquidity, which can be quantified by a power law function and explained by a liquidity supply model. Three well-documented asymmetries (asymmetric volume, asymmetry in non-market volatility, and positive skewness for individual stocks) are disappearing with increased basket trading, however, asymmetric correlation survives.

Keywords: Co-movement, Liquidity, Asymmetric Volume, Asymmetric Correlation, Index Trading