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Thick vs. Thin-Skinned: Technology, News, and Financial Market Reaction

Author

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  • Mr. Barry J. Eichengreen
  • Romain Lafarguette
  • Arnaud Mehl

Abstract

We study the impact of technology on the reaction of financial markets to information, focusing on the foreign exchange market. We contrast the “thin-skinned” view that technological improvements cause markets to react more to new information with the “thick-skinned” view that they react less. We pinpoint exogenous technological changes using the timing of the connection of countries via the submarine fiber-optic cables used for electronic trading. Cable connections dampen the response of exchange rates to macroeconomic news, consistent with the “thick-skinned” hypothesis. This is in line with the view that technology eases access to information and reduces trend-following behavior. According to our estimates, cable connections reduce the reaction of exchange rates to U.S. monetary policy news by 50 to 80 percent.

Suggested Citation

  • Mr. Barry J. Eichengreen & Romain Lafarguette & Arnaud Mehl, 2017. "Thick vs. Thin-Skinned: Technology, News, and Financial Market Reaction," IMF Working Papers 2017/091, International Monetary Fund.
  • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2017/091
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    Cited by:

    1. Ran Xiao, 2019. "Essays on Price Discovery and Volatility Dynamics in Emerging Market Currencies," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 5-2019.

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