Creditors often share their information about their customers' credit record, directly or via information brokers such as credit bureaus and rating agencies. Besides helping them to spot bad risks, this informational exchange acts as a disciplinary device. If creditors are known to exchange data...

Dealers are suppliers of liquidity; in this respect their role is similar to that played by speculators in auction markets. However, dealers are a special kind of speculator, because of the many obligations and privileges conferred upon them. The most obvious constraint on dealers' behaviour is...