Wm Wrigley

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George White, CFA, and Elizabeth Plain, CFA, manage an account for Briggs and Meyers Securities. In managing the account, White and Plain use a variety of strategies, and they trade in different markets. They use econometric analysis to estimate costs, for example, and algorithmic methods to execute the strategies. White and Plain also use both market orders and limit orders. Their supervisor has asked them to compose a summary of their trading records to see how the various strategies have worked.

The supervisor asks about how to assess the costs and risks of the various types of trades. The supervisor specifically asks White and Plain to explain the difference in the risks associated with market and limit orders. After White and Plain explain how limit orders can give a better price, the supervisor asks why they wouldn’t always use limit orders. White explains the details of execution uncertainty and price uncertainty and how they relate to market and limit orders. As part of the discussion, Plain explains the principle of the effective spread that is associated with market orders. She uses a recent example where the quoted bid and ask price of GHT stock was $25.40 and $25.44 respectively. When White and Plain put in a buy order for 300 shares of GHT stock, at that quoted spread, the order was immediately executed at $25.45. She then calculates the effective spread.

In summarizing transactions costs, White explains how transactions costs include both implicit and explicit costs. He describes a recent situation where he and Plain placed a large buy order for CRD stock. Only half of the trade was executed on the day the order was made, and the second half of the buy order for CRD was executed on the following day. This occurred because the order was for a large number of shares and CRD stock traded in a relatively illiquid market.

The supervisor asks if there are methods for analyzing and...