Non-Public Information and the Trading Activity of Hedge Funds
48 Pages Posted: 28 Sep 2011 Last revised: 12 Dec 2012
Date Written: December 10, 2012
Abstract
Informed trading reduces liquidity but speeds price discovery. I compare trading by shareholder activists with trading by the subset of hedge fund activists in lead-up periods before activists disclose adjustments in target firm ownership. Activist trading widens target bid-ask spreads and increases Amihud illiquidity (Amihud (2002)). These effects intensify as hedge funds trade physically closer to their targets. Close hedge fund trading before earnings surprises impounds the news into stock prices faster than other activists, reducing abnormal announcement return volatility by 29 percent. I conclude informed trading produces a trade-off between lower liquidity through adverse selection costs and more informative prices.
Keywords: Liquidity, shareholder activism, hedge funds, price discovery, informed trading
JEL Classification: G14, G18, G23
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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