When Does the Tick Size Help or Harm Market Quality? Evidence from the Tick Size Pilot
57 Pages Posted: 23 Dec 2022 Last revised: 30 Jan 2023
Date Written: December 14, 2022
Abstract
Tick sizes provide a market quality tradeoff between pricing fidelity and undercutting - suggesting that the same tick size change may affect narrow and wide-spread stocks differently. Using comprehensive depth-of-book data we study the imposition and conclusion of the Tick Size Pilot (TSP) across a broad spectrum of stocks and many market quality dimensions. For TSP stocks with quoted spreads less (more) than 9c (15c) the TSP harmed (improved) market quality. Our methodology contrasts with existing TSP studies which treat all non-tick constrained stocks the same and our analysis suggests care when using the TSP as an exogenous shock to liquidity.
Keywords: Tick Size, Market Quality, Price Efficiency, Tick Size Pilot, Liquidity, Minimum Pricing Increment, Undercutting, Pennying
JEL Classification: G14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation