High-frequency trading order cancellations and market quality: Is stricter regulation the answer?

摘要

High-frequency traders (HFTs) frequently submit, cancel and resubmit trading orders in an attempt to stay in front of the queue. This study shows that HFTs cancel a large number of limit orders within 50 ms in order to create arbitrage opportunities in the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). We find that HFTs generate substantial profits after transaction costs and are capable of extending their strong profitability generating record in the future. Our empirical results indicate that institutional investors lacking speed are more likely to experience higher execution costs. We propose the introduction of batch auctions, one per 50 ms of trading, to impose a queuing risk for HFTs leading to positive market quality effects.