Tick Size Tolls: Can a Trading Slowdown Improve Earnings News Discovery?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lee, Charles M. C.; Watts, Edward M.
• 署名单位: Stanford University
• 刊物名称: ACCOUNTING REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0001-4826
• DOI: 10.2308/TAR-2018-0689
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 373-401
• 关键词: Price discovery; information-content; liquidity provision; MARKET; announcements; SIXTEENTHS; EFFICIENCY

摘要

This study examines how an increase in tick size affects algorithmic trading (AT), fundamental information acquisition (FIA), and the price discovery process around earnings announcements (EAs). Leveraging the SEC's randomized Tick Size Pilot experiment, we show that a tick size increase results in a decline in AT and a sharp drop in absolute cumulative abnormal returns and volume around EAs. More importantly, we find increased FIA in the preannouncement period. Specifically, we show: (1) treatment firms' pre-announcement returns better anticipate next quarters standardized unexpected earnings; (2) these firms experience an increase in EDGAR web traffic prior to EAs; and (3) they exhibit a drop in price synchronicity with index returns. Taken together, our evidence suggests that while an increase in tick size reduces AT and abnormal market reaction after EAs, it also increases FIA activities prior to EAs.