This paper describes a general procedure for constructing a class of asymmetric distributions based on symmetric parametric distribution families, and investigates some inherent relationships between the constructed asymmetric distribution and the original symmetric ones. This procedure is used...

We propose the Volume Coefficient of Variation (VCV), the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean of trading volume, as a new and easily computable measure of information asymmetry in security markets. We use a simple microstructure model to demonstrate that VCV is strictly increasing in the...

Robust pricing models often suffer from being overly conservative. This is due to lack of asymmetry information within the set of possible valuation distributions. However, even when information on asymmetry is available incorporating it within pricing models makes the characterization of...

We propose the Volume Coefficient of Variation (VCV) as a new and simple measure of information asymmetry in security markets. We use a microstructure model to demonstrate that VCV is strictly increasing in the proportion of informed trade. Empirically, we obtain VCV from daily observations of...

I study the properties of optimal long-term contracts in an environment in which the agent.s type evolves stochastically over time. The model stylizes a buyer-seller relationship but the results apply quite naturally to many contractual situations including regulation and optimal...

We study relative performance of stochastic and deterministic mechanisms in a principal-agent model with hidden information and no monetary transfers. We present an example in which stochastic mechanisms perform strictly better than deterministic ones and can implement any outcome arbitrarily...