Marketability and Value: Measuring the Illiquidity Discount
60 Pages Posted: 14 Nov 2005
Date Written: July 30, 2005
Abstract
Should investors be willing to pay higher prices for more liquid assets than for otherwise similar assets that are less liquid? If the answer is yes, how much should the premium be for liquid assets? Conversely, how do we estimate the discount for illiquid assets? In this paper, we argue that it is a mistake to think of some assets as illiquid and others as liquid and that liquidity is a continuum, where some assets are more liquid than others. We then examine why liquid assets may be priced more highly than otherwise similar illiquid assets and why some investors value liquidity more than others. We follow up be presenting the empirical evidence that has accumulated over time and across different assets - financial and real - on the cost of illiquidity. Finally, we consider how we can use the theory and evidence on illiquidity to estimate the effect of illiquidity on the value of an asset or business.
Keywords: marketablity, illiquidity discount, liquidity discount, liquidity
JEL Classification: G12, G24, G34
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
Short Sale Constraints and Stock Returns
By Charles M. Jones and Owen A. Lamont
-
Short Sale Constraints and Stock Returns
By Charles M. Jones and Owen A. Lamont
-
Breadth of Ownership and Stock Returns
By Joseph Chen, Harrison G. Hong, ...
-
Breadth of Ownership and Stock Returns
By Joseph Chen, Harrison G. Hong, ...
-
Can the Market Add and Subtract? Mispricing in Tech Stock Carve-Outs
By Owen A. Lamont and Richard H. Thaler
-
Can the Market Add and Subtract? Mispricing in Tech Stock Carve-Outs
By Owen A. Lamont and Richard H. Thaler
-
Limited Arbitrage in Equity Markets
By Mark L. Mitchell, Todd C. Pulvino, ...
-
Dotcom Mania: The Rise and Fall of Internet Stock Prices
By Eli Ofek and Matthew P. Richardson
-
Dotcom Mania: The Rise and Fall of Internet Stock Prices
By Eli Ofek
-
Dotcom Mania: The Rise and Fall of Internet Stock Prices
By Eli Ofek and Matthew P. Richardson