Spoofing, Market Manipulation, and the Limit-Order Book


Book Description

This article provides an overview of recent legal developments related to spoofing in financial markets and an analysis of economic issues related to spoofing. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 defines spoofing as “bidding or offering with the intent to cancel the bid or offer before execution.” As one of three “disruptive practices” proscribed by the Act for futures markets, spoofing is distinct from, though related to, market manipulation, which is covered by other statutory and regulatory language for financial markets. Recent spoofing cases include a criminal conviction for spoofing in futures markets, several settlements, and at least two prominent ongoing actions. Turning to economic issues, this article explains the operation of the limit-order book, which is the basis for most futures and equity markets. A build-up of orders on one side of a limit-order book can induce market movements, and spoofing might work through this mechanism. However, the presence of spoofing may improve market liquidity and enable informed traders to profit from their information. An economic analysis of alleged spoofing strategies may provide evidence relevant to courts' assessment of traders' intentions. This analysis could include an investigation of both expected returns and risks of the trading strategies.




Developing an Effective Model for Detecting Trade-Based Market Manipulation


Book Description

Developing an Effective Model for Detecting Trade-Based Market Manipulation determines an appropriate model to help identify stocks witnessing activities that are indicative of potential manipulation through three separate but related studies.




Trading and Electronic Markets: What Investment Professionals Need to Know


Book Description

The true meaning of investment discipline is to trade only when you rationally expect that you will achieve your desired objective. Accordingly, managers must thoroughly understand why they trade. Because trading is a zero-sum game, good investment discipline also requires that managers understand why their counterparties trade. This book surveys the many reasons why people trade and identifies the implications of the zero-sum game for investment discipline. It also identifies the origins of liquidity and thus of transaction costs, as well as when active investment strategies are profitable. The book then explains how managers must measure and control transaction costs to perform well. Electronic trading systems and electronic trading strategies now dominate trading in exchange markets throughout the world. The book identifies why speed is of such great importance to electronic traders, how they obtain it, and the trading strategies they use to exploit it. Finally, the book analyzes many issues associated with electronic trading that currently concern practitioners and regulators.




Microstructure-Based Manipulation


Book Description

We examine how investors strategically spoof the stock market by placing orders with little chance of being executed, but which mislead other traders into thinking there is an imbalance in the order book. Using the complete intraday order and trade data of the Korea Exchange (KRX) in a custom data set identifying individual accounts, we find that investors strategically placed spoofing orders which, given the KRX's order-disclosure rule at the time, created the impression of a substantial order book imbalance, with the intent to manipulate subsequent prices. This manipulation, which made use of specific features of the market microstructure, is different from previously studied forms of manipulation, based on information or transactions. Roughly half of the spoofing orders were placed in conjunction with day trading. Stocks targeted for manipulation had higher return volatility, lower market capitalization, lower price level, and lower managerial transparency. We also find that spoofing traders achieved substantial extra profits. The frequency of spoofing orders decreased drastically after the KRX altered its order-disclosure rule.




Liquidity, Markets and Trading in Action


Book Description

This open access book addresses four standard business school subjects: microeconomics, macroeconomics, finance and information systems as they relate to trading, liquidity, and market structure. It provides a detailed examination of the impact of trading costs and other impediments of trading that the authors call rictions It also presents an interactive simulation model of equity market trading, TraderEx, that enables students to implement trading decisions in different market scenarios and structures. Addressing these topics shines a bright light on how a real-world financial market operates, and the simulation provides students with an experiential learning opportunity that is informative and fun. Each of the chapters is designed so that it can be used as a stand-alone module in an existing economics, finance, or information science course. Instructor resources such as discussion questions, Powerpoint slides and TraderEx exercises are available online.




Corruption and Fraud in Financial Markets


Book Description

Identifying malpractice and misconduct should be top priority for financial risk managers today Corruption and Fraud in Financial Markets identifies potential issues surrounding all types of fraud, misconduct, price/volume manipulation and other forms of malpractice. Chapters cover detection, prevention and regulation of corruption and fraud within different financial markets. Written by experts at the forefront of finance and risk management, this book details the many practices that bring potentially devastating consequences, including insider trading, bribery, false disclosure, frontrunning, options backdating, and improper execution or broker-agency relationships. Informed but corrupt traders manipulate prices in dark pools run by investment banks, using anonymous deals to move prices in their own favour, extracting value from ordinary investors time and time again. Strategies such as wash, ladder and spoofing trades are rife, even on regulated exchanges – and in unregulated cryptocurrency exchanges one can even see these manipulative quotes happening real-time in the limit order book. More generally, financial market misconduct and fraud affects about 15 percent of publicly listed companies each year and the resulting fines can devastate an organisation's budget and initiate a tailspin from which it may never recover. This book gives you a deeper understanding of all these issues to help prevent you and your company from falling victim to unethical practices. Learn about the different types of corruption and fraud and where they may be hiding in your organisation Identify improper relationships and conflicts of interest before they become a problem Understand the regulations surrounding market misconduct, and how they affect your firm Prevent budget-breaking fines and other potentially catastrophic consequences Since the LIBOR scandal, many major banks have been fined billions of dollars for manipulation of prices, exchange rates and interest rates. Headline cases aside, misconduct and fraud is uncomfortably prevalent in a large number of financial firms; it can exist in a wide variety of forms, with practices in multiple departments, making self-governance complex. Corruption and Fraud in Financial Markets is a comprehensive guide to identifying and stopping potential problems before they reach the level of finable misconduct.




Modern Equity Investing Strategies


Book Description

This book will satisfy the demand among college majors in Finance and Financial Engineering, and mathematically-versed practitioners for description of both the classical approaches to equity investing and new investment strategies scattered in the periodic literature. Besides the major portfolio management theories (mean variance theory, CAPM, and APT), the book addresses several important topics: portfolio diversification, optimal ESG portfolios, factor models (smart betas), robust portfolio optimization, risk-based asset allocation, statistical arbitrage, alternative data based investing, back-testing of trading strategies, modern market microstructure, algorithmic trading, and agent-based modeling of financial markets. The book also includes the basic elements of time series analysis in the Appendix for self-contained presentation of the material. While the book covers technical concepts and models, it will not overburden the reader with math beyond the Finance undergraduates' curriculum.




The Handbook of Electronic Trading


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive look at the challenges of keeping up with liquidity needs and technology advancements. It is also a sourcebook for understandable, practical solutions on trading and technology.




Algorithmic and High-Frequency Trading


Book Description

The design of trading algorithms requires sophisticated mathematical models backed up by reliable data. In this textbook, the authors develop models for algorithmic trading in contexts such as executing large orders, market making, targeting VWAP and other schedules, trading pairs or collection of assets, and executing in dark pools. These models are grounded on how the exchanges work, whether the algorithm is trading with better informed traders (adverse selection), and the type of information available to market participants at both ultra-high and low frequency. Algorithmic and High-Frequency Trading is the first book that combines sophisticated mathematical modelling, empirical facts and financial economics, taking the reader from basic ideas to cutting-edge research and practice. If you need to understand how modern electronic markets operate, what information provides a trading edge, and how other market participants may affect the profitability of the algorithms, then this is the book for you.




The Little Book of Market Manipulation


Book Description

Market manipulation comes in many forms. For a wrong that some say started life with groups of men dressed in Bourbon uniforms spreading false information in cod French accents, the speed of change has accelerated dramatically in the modern era, via the Internet, novel forms of electronic communication, ultra-fast computer-generated trading, new types of financial instruments, and increased globalisation. This means that opportunities for carrying-out new forms of manipulation now exist on an exponential scale. Looks at the mechanisms, criminal and civil, to confront market manipulation, its enforcement regimes, legal and evidential rules and potential loopholes. Shows how every individual involved in market transactions can fall foul of the law if they do not ensure integrity in their dealings. The ‘tricks’ used by those seeking to benefit from this special category of fraud and the relationship of dedicated provisions to the general law is outlined, with key statutory provisions set out in an appendix. A valuable accompaniment to The Little Book of Insider Dealing (Waterside Press, 2018). An invaluable pocket guide and law primer. An essential guide for investors. With practical examples and decided cases. An up-to-date treatment of a fast-moving topic. Describes both criminal and regulatory regimes. Contents include Forms of Market Manipulation; Suspicion, Identification, Detection and Investigation; Obligations and Enforcement; Criminal Offences, Defences and Punishment; Regulatory Provisions and Penalties; Evidence; Acronyms; Select Bibliography; Key Statutory Provisions and Index.