Category: Economics

Liquidity : Never There When You Need It

Markets are dominated by a few large investors, creating problems of concentration. Similar portfolios and strategies exacerbate risk and the problems of illiquidity if a large number of participants or very large holders wish to exit positions at the same times.

Investors are frequently market following trading the momentum, buying when prices go up and selling when they fall. They are users rather than providers of liquidity. Their buying creates the illusion of active trading when markets are rising but suck liquidity out when prices fall.

→ EconoMonitor

The Smartest Economist You’ve Never Heard Of

A great portrait on a man, I ought to say, I only knew by name rather than by its accomplishments and work at the IMF.

In a profession in which reputations are made by mastering subjects that have become increasingly narrow and technical, the variety of topics Blanchard has studied and written about is extraordinary. Indeed, it is because of that breadth that Blanchard acknowledges he is unlikely to win a Nobel Prize. “I did not fundamentally change our view about anything,” he said, wistfully but with no sign of regret. “I tried to provide useful insights on many things rather than obsessing about one.”

→ The Washington Post

Wall Street Banks Admit They Rigged CDS Prices Too

Tyler Durden :

Here is a system that ultimately allows banks to control the pricing for the instruments they use to bet against securities that they themselves create. This is just part and parcel of a never-ending paper wealth creation machine which generates billions in fiat money profits without creating anything in the way of tangible value and before it’s all over, this financialization of the US economy will likely end up bringing the world to its knees unless someone, somewhere puts a stop to the madness.

Is there anything left to be manipulated ?

→ Zero Hedge

Agressive HFT And Institutional Trading Activity – Who Leads Market Crashes ?

Hallelujah, high-frequency traders didn’t short the market that much :

Our analysis of trading on August 24, 2015, shows that while there were bursts of aggressive HFT activity during the sell-off, it was the institutional activity, not the HFT activity that led and dominated the sell-off. Specifically, the events have appeared to unfold as follows: institutions would sell particular securities, creating acute selling pressure in the markets. Aggressive HFTs would then step in and sell the market further, but only for a relatively short period of time.

→ Traders Magazine

A Different Approach To VC

Fred Wilson :

I wrote this to my partner the other day. I’m not going to provide the context. It doesn’t matter. It could have been about almost anything in the startup sector right now.
“the biggest thing that is wrong with the startup sector right now is entrepreneurs and their teams are too focused on valuation and not enough focused on business fundamentals”

→ A VC