Do firms buy their stock at bargain prices? : Evidence from actual stock repurchase disclosure

We use new data from SEC filings to investigate how S&P 500 firms execute their open market repurchase programs. We find that smaller S&P 500 firms repurchase less frequently than larger firms, and at a price which is significantly lower than the average market price. Their repurchase activity is followed by a positive and significant abnormal return which lasts up to three months after the repurchase. These findings do not hold for large S&P 500 firms. Our interpretation is that small firms repurchase strategically, whereas the repurchase activity of large firms is more focused on the disbursement of free cash. JEL Classification: G14, G30, G35 Keywords: Stock Repurchases, Stock Buybacks, Payout Policy, Timing, Bid-Ask Spread, Liquidit

The diminishing liquidity premium

Previous evidence suggests that less liquid stocks entail higher average returns. Using NYSE data, we present evidence that both the sensitivity of returns to liquidity and liquidity premia have significantly declined over the past four decades to levels that we cannot statistically distinguish from zero. Furthermore, the profitability of trading strategies based on buying illiquid stocks and selling illiquid stocks has declined over the past four decades, rendering such strategies virtually unprofitable. Our results are robust to several conventional liquidity measures related to volume. When using liquidity measure that is not related to volume, we find just weak evidence of a liquidity premium even in the early periods of our sample. The gradual introduction and proliferation of index funds and exchange traded funds is a possible explanation for these results

Political News and Stock Prices: The Case of Saddam Hussein Contracts

This paper studies the association between the market’s expectations of Saddam Hussein’s fall from power, reflected in "Saddam contract" prices, and stock prices, oil prices and exchange rates. During the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which also indicated a speedy end to the war, was positively and significantly associated with stock prices, strengthened the dollar against the Euro, and lowered oil prices. Before the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which may have also indicated the probability of a costly war breaking out, lowered stock prices, which adjustment gradually to this information

POLITICAL NEWS AND STOCK PRICES: THE CASE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN CONTRACTS

This paper studies the association between the market’s expectations of Saddam Hussein’s fall from power, as reflected in “Saddam contract” prices, and stock prices, oil prices and exchange rates. During the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which also indicated a speedy end to the war, was positively and significantly associated with stock prices, strengthened the dollar against the Euro, and lowered oil prices. Before the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which may also have indicated the probability of a costly war breaking out, lowered stock prices, which adjusted gradually to this information

Political News and Stock Prices: The Case of Saddam Hussein Contracts

This paper studies the association between the market’s expectations of Saddam Hussein’s fall from power, reflected in "Saddam contract" prices, and stock prices, oil prices and exchange rates. During the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which also indicated a speedy end to the war, was positively and significantly associated with stock prices, strengthened the dollar against the Euro, and lowered oil prices. Before the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which may have also indicated the probability of a costly war breaking out, lowered stock prices, which adjustment gradually to this information

Political News and Stock Prices: The Case of Saddam Hussein Conacts

This paper studies the association between the market’s expectations of Saddam Hussein’s fall from power, reflected in "Saddam conact" prices, and stock prices, oil prices and exchange rates. During the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which also indicated a speedy end to the war, was positively and significantly associated with stock prices, sengthened the dollar against the Euro, and lowered oil prices. Before the war, a rise in the probability of Saddam’s fall, which may have also indicated the probability of a costly war breaking out, lowered stock prices, which adjustment gradually to this information

The Feasibility of an Index-Contingent Trading Mechanism

"Auction" or "call" trading systems are used in many stock exchanges. An essential problem in the application of these systems is that orders in one security cannot be conditioned on prices of other securities. This paper proposes and analyzes the feasibility of an index-contingent trading system. In this system, limit orders may be conditioned on an index (any weighted average of the security prices that is determined simultaneously with the prices) in addition to the asset price. Without any assumptions about traders' behavior it is shown that under a reasonable restriction on the structure of the limit orders, there is a unique solution (vector of prices) to any set of orders in all securities. Moreover, the paper presents a quick and simple algorithm that converges to the solution. This algorithm is based on an extension of the current mechanisms; therefore it can be implemented easily in any computerized auction system.stock exchanges, trading systems, call trading, limit orders, security indexes, market micro-structure