In designing a derivative contract, an exchange carefully considers how its attributes affect the expected profits of its members. On November 3, 1997, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange doubled its tick size of its S&P 500 futures contract and halved the denomination, providing a rare opportunity...

Stock index futures were the most successful financial innovation of the 1980s. In spite of their widespread use internationally, they continue to be criticised for causing ‘aberrations’ in the stock market, particularly on expiration days when futures contracts are...

This dissertation studies price discovery processes, stock order imbalances, and trading patterns around seasoned equity offerings. First chapter studies how the volatility of a stock is affected by the trading activity of other stocks. I construct a model of price discovery process after a...