Are endogenous liquidity providers (ELPs) reliable in times of market stress? We examine the activity of a common ELP type – high frequency traders (HFTs) – around extreme price movements (EPMs). We find that on average HFTs provide liquidity during EPMs by absorbing imbalances created by...

We test competing theories of liquidity dynamics during extreme price movements (EPMs). We find that market makers strategically allow for price pressures and are compensated from correcting pricing errors. As a result, liquidity provision intensifies towards the end of a typical EPM. This goes...