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Journal of Political Economy Vol. 132 No. 4 2024

A Theory of Stock Exchange Competition and Innovation: Will the Market Fix the Market?

Eric Budish1; Robin S. Lee2; John J. Shim3

1 National Bureau of Economic Research · 2 Harvard University · 3 University of Notre Dame

open access

Abstract

Will stock exchanges innovate to address latency arbitrage and the arms race for speed? This paper models how exchanges compete in the modern electronic era and how this shapes incentives for market-design innovation. In the status quo, exchange trading fees are competitive, but exchanges earn economic rents from selling speed. These rents create a wedge between private and social incentives to innovate and support the persistence of an inefficient market design in equilibrium of a market-design adoption game. We discuss implications for policy and insights for the literatures on market design, innovation, and platforms.

DOI
10.1086/727284
Volume
132
Issue
4
Pages
1209-1246
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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