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/lp/emerald-publishing/information-costs-in-financial-markets-evidence-from-the-tunisian-uVwZmS7IT3
- Publisher
- Emerald Publishing
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2010 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
- ISSN
- 1526-5943
- DOI
- 10.1108/15265941011071520
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss a widespread idea in the financial literature: information in financial markets is free. Indeed, whenever an investor wants to intervene to purchase and/or to sell, he/she faces the need to access the information, which he/she judges to ensure an optimal decision. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the entropy statistics in order to estimate the information cost of the assets of the Tunisian stock market over the period extending from 2002 to 2005. Findings – The obtained results show that the information costs follow a Brownian motion. This finding lends empirical support to the theoretical position that has always been adopted in the relevant literature: in finance, as in economy, the majority of the series follow a Brownian motion. Practical implications – The proposed methodology offers investors the opportunity to estimate the information cost by taking into account the quotation probability, a simple approach that can be used not only by fund managers, but also by financial market investors. Originality/value – The paper uses entropy as a relatively new tool applied in financial theory. It offers a new understanding of information cost. The paper will be of interest for financial market investors and academics.
Journal
The Journal of Risk Finance – Emerald Publishing
Published: Aug 17, 2010
Keywords: Information management; Cost accounting; Tunisia; Stock markets
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