Arbitrage crashes and the speed of capital

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Financial Economics
Year: 2012
Volume: 104
Issue: 3
Pages: 469-490

Authors (2)

Mitchell, Mark (University of Chicago) Pulvino, Todd (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The imminent failure of prime brokers during the 2008 financial crisis caused a sudden decrease in the leverage afforded hedge funds. This decrease resulted from the asymmetrical payoff to rehypothecation lenders—the ultimate financiers, through prime brokers, to hedge funds. Seemingly long-term debt capital became short-term capital creating a duration mismatch between left-hand side arbitrage opportunities and right-hand side liabilities. Consequently, arbitrageurs became unable to maintain similar prices of similar assets. Mispricing magnitudes, and the time required to correct them, reflect the role of arbitrageurs in maintaining accurate prices during normal times and offer an estimate of discounts at which assets transact during crises.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jfinec:v:104:y:2012:i:3:p:469-490
Journal Field
Finance
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-26