The Cost of New Information – ECB Macro Announcement Impacts on Bid-Ask Spreads of European Blue Chips

Bid-ask spreads using intraday data reveal significant sensitivity to European Central Bank (ECB) macro announcements. Effects are strongest for announcements that comprise unexpected information or a change in interest rates, and spreads rise sharply during the minutes surrounding interest rate or other important macroeconomic announcements by the ECB. Both Euro area stocks (of German DAX 30 and French CAC 40) and non-Euro stocks (of FTSE 100) have been used for comparative reasons. All results are robust to changes in specification and when being controlled for normal daytime-dependent frictions or other macroeconomic announcements.