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Journal of Banking & Finance Vol. 37 No. 3 2013

Can position limits restrain ‘rogue’ trading?

Rhys ap Gwilym; M. Shahid Ebrahim1

1 Bangor University

open access

Abstract

This paper studies the imposition of position limits on commodity futures from the perspective of curbing excessive speculation and thus manipulation. We present a simple general equilibrium model in a static rational expectations framework and agent heterogeneity to illustrate that excessive speculation serves to enrich other agents at the expense of the speculator. Position limits, on the contrary, are not only superfluous, but also counter-productive, as they exacerbate market power and lead to a deterioration in efficiency. Position limits not only reduce social welfare but also cannot restrain market manipulation.

DOI
10.1016/j.jbankfin.2012.10.025
Volume
37
Issue
3
Pages
824-836
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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