Search, liquidity, and retention: Signaling multidimensional private information

A-Tier
Journal: The Review of Financial Studies
Year: 2021
Volume: 34
Issue: 12
Pages: 5841-5885

Authors (3)

Peter M DeMarzo (not in RePEc) David M Frankel (University of Melbourne) Yu Jin (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

A privately informed seller seeks to liquidate a portfolio to raise cash. Each asset’s liquidity thus depends on the impact of its sale on the value of the entire portfolio. We demonstrate the importance of cross-signaling and derive sufficient conditions for a liquidity “pecking order” that determines the order of sale. For assets backed by a common pool, liquidity naturally aligns with seniority. Finally, we extend the portfolio liquidation game to consider security design and demonstrate the optimality of pooling securities and selling senior tranches or debt secured by the pool, with retention increasing in asset quality or informational asymmetry.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:rfinst:v:34:y:2021:i:12:p:5841-5885.
Journal Field
Finance
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25