This paper tests for differences in execution costs among specialist firms for NYSE listed securities. Execution cost differences provide a useful measure of the relative performance of specialist firms. We find a substantial difference in effective spreads and order processing costs across...

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) switched from a fractional to a decimal trading system on April 15, 1996. This paper examines the impact of decimalization on the competition for order flows between Canadian and U.S. exchanges by analyzing TSE stocks cross-listed on U.S. exchanges. We find that...

The AMEX changed the tick size from $1/8 to $1/16 for low-price stocks on September 3, 1992. Consistent with the prediction of L. E. Harris (1994, Stock Price Clustering and Discreteness, Review of Financial Studies 7, 149-178), the change has reduced both quoted and effective spreads, although...

It is well known that historically a larger number of firms issue common stock and the proportion of external financing accounted for by equity is substantially higher in expansionary phases of the business cycle. We show that this phenomenon is consistent with firms selling seasoned equity when...