The conventional response given to explain the difference between an auction and dealer markets is that auction markets are order driven and dealer markets are quote driven. However this paper argues that same set of equilibrium prices will obtain in each market. In dealer markets liquidity is...

This paper examines the determinants of inside spreads and their behaviour around corporate earning announcement dates, for a sample of UK firms over the period 1986-94. The paper finds that closing daily inside spreads are affected by order processing costs (proxied by trading volumes),...