IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jbfnac/v21y1994i3p409-427.html

The Effect Of Trading In Eighths On Security Return Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Robert W. Ingram
  • Mary S. Stone
  • Michael T. Dugan

Abstract

Currently the equity securities of most British, Canadian and US firms trade in eighths. However, this pricing system may soon be abandoned in the US. Specifically, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently studying the feasibility of changing the pricing of US securities to dollars and cents from dollars and eighths. ‘SEC officials contend that moving to a system that quotes stock prices in dollars and cents would create efficiency in the stock market that eighths and sometimes sixteenths can't permit’ (Torres and Salwen, 1991). This paper demonstrates the inefficiencies that result from constraining stocks to trade in eighths of a dollar. It describes the effects on returns and betas; then, it presents empirical evidence consistent with the effects. Systematic differences in the distributions of returns of low and high‐priced stocks are documented. The covariance of returns with a market index is shown to vary systematically across stocks of different prices and to depend on the return interval used to estimate market model parameters. The variations are explainable by an observed lag between the returns of low‐priced stocks relative to those of high‐priced stocks. The lag is partially attributable to trading in eighths. A systematic relationship that varies with share price is observed between market model residual returns and unadjusted returns. This relationship is not eliminated by using longer return intervals alone. The extent of the relationship is reduced when longer return intervals are combined with the use of a market index composed of stocks that are priced similarly to those of the securities being tested. The implications of these results for capital market studies are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert W. Ingram & Mary S. Stone & Michael T. Dugan, 1994. "The Effect Of Trading In Eighths On Security Return Behavior," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 409-427, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jbfnac:v:21:y:1994:i:3:p:409-427
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5957.1994.tb00327.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5957.1994.tb00327.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1468-5957.1994.tb00327.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brown, Stephen J. & Warner, Jerold B., 1985. "Using daily stock returns : The case of event studies," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 3-31, March.
    2. Handa, Puneet & Kothari, S. P. & Wasley, Charles, 1989. "The relation between the return interval and betas : Implications for the size effect," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 79-100, June.
    3. Blume, Marshall E & Husic, Frank, 1973. "Price, Beta, and Exchange Listing," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 28(2), pages 283-299, May.
    4. Dimson, Elroy & Marsh, Paul, 1986. "Event study methodologies and the size effect : The case of UK press recommendations," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 113-142, September.
    5. Schwert, G. William, 1983. "Size and stock returns, and other empirical regularities," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 3-12, June.
    6. Hawawini, Gabriel, 1983. "Why beta shifts as the return interval changes," MPRA Paper 44893, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Dimson, Elroy, 1979. "Risk measurement when shares are subject to infrequent trading," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 197-226, June.
    8. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:2:p:451-66 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Bachrach, Benjamin & Galai, Dan, 1979. "The Risk-Return Relationship and Stock Prices," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 421-441, June.
    10. Lakonishok, Josef & Shapiro, Alan C., 1986. "Systematic risk, total risk and size as determinants of stock market returns," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 115-132, March.
    11. Thomson, James B., 1989. "Errors in Recorded Security Prices and the Turn-ofthe-Year Effect," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(4), pages 513-526, December.
    12. Banz, Rolf W., 1981. "The relationship between return and market value of common stocks," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 3-18, March.
    13. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:4:p:841-65 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. William Kross, 1985. "The Size Effect Is Primarily A Price Effect," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 8(3), pages 169-179, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Semenov, Andrei, 2021. "Measuring the stock's factor beta and identifying risk factors under market inefficiency," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 635-649.
    2. Chenglu Jin & Thomas Conlon & John Cotter, 2023. "Co-Skewness across Return Horizons," Journal of Financial Econometrics, Oxford University Press, vol. 21(5), pages 1483-1518.
    3. Samer Al-Rjoub & Oscar Varela & M. Kabir Hassan, 2005. "The size effect reversal in the USA," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(17), pages 1189-1197.
    4. Brailsford, Timothy J. & Josev, Thomas, 1997. "The impact of the return interval on the estimation of systematic risk," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 357-376, July.
    5. Gregory, Alan & Hua, Shan & Tharyan, Rajesh, 2018. "In search of beta," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 425-441.
    6. Frederick A. Rippington & Richard J. Taffler, 1995. "The Information Content Of Firm Financial Disclosures," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 345-362, April.
    7. Seguin, P. J. & Smoller, M. M., 1997. "Share price and mortality: An empirical evaluation of newly listed Nasdaq stocks," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 333-363, September.
    8. Wolfgang Aussenegg & Andreas Grünbichler, 1999. "Der Size-Effekt am Österreichischen Aktienmarkt," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 51(7), pages 636-661, July.
    9. Jana P. Fidrmuc & Marc Goergen & Luc Renneboog, 2006. "Insider Trading, News Releases, and Ownership Concentration," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(6), pages 2931-2973, December.
    10. Linnenluecke, Martina K. & Chen, Xiaoyan & Ling, Xin & Smith, Tom & Zhu, Yushu, 2017. "Research in finance: A review of influential publications and a research agenda," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 188-199.
    11. Adam Zaremba & Jacob Koby Shemer, 2018. "Price-Based Investment Strategies," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-319-91530-2, January.
    12. Dragos Stefan Oprea, 2015. "The Interval Effect in Estimating Beta: Empirical Evidence from the Romanian Stock Market," The Review of Finance and Banking, Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania / Facultatea de Finante, Asigurari, Banci si Burse de Valori / Catedra de Finante, vol. 7(2), pages 016-025, December.
    13. Athanassakos, George & Schnabel, Jacques A., 1996. "Stockholder wealth effects of Eurobond financing: A Canadian perspective," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 191-208.
    14. Kothari, S. P., 2001. "Capital markets research in accounting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 105-231, September.
    15. Georgios Mantsios & Stylianos Xanthopoulos, 2016. "The Beta intervalling effect during a deep economic crisis - evidence from Greece," International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences Applied Research (IJBESAR), Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Kavala Campus, Greece, vol. 9(1), pages 19-26, April.
    16. Tang, Gordon Y. N. & Shum, Wai Cheong, 2004. "The risk-return relations in the Singapore stock market," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 179-195, April.
    17. Albert Corhay & Alireza Tourani Rad, 1993. "Return Interval, Firm Size And Systematic Risk On The Dutch Stock Market," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 2(2), pages 19-28, March.
    18. William D. Brown, Jr & Ray J. Pfeiffer, Jr, 2008. "Do Investors Under-React to Information in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(7-8), pages 889-911.
    19. Franks, Julian R & Harris, Robert & Mayer, Colin, 1987. "Means of Payment in Takeovers: Results for the UK and US," CEPR Discussion Papers 200, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    20. Perron, Pierre & Chun, Sungju & Vodounou, Cosme, 2013. "Sampling interval and estimated betas: Implications for the presence of transitory components in stock prices," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 42-62.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jbfnac:v:21:y:1994:i:3:p:409-427. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0306-686X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.