Arbitrage (redirected from arbitrages)

Arbitrage

The simultaneous buying and selling of a security at two different prices in two different markets, resulting in profits without risk. Perfectly efficient markets present no arbitrage opportunities. Perfectly efficient markets seldom exist, but, arbitrage opportunities are often precluded because of transactions costs.

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arbitrage

The simultaneous purchase and sale of substantially identical assets in order to profit from a price difference between the two assets. As a hypothetical example, if General Electric common stock trades at $45 on the New York Stock Exchange and at $44.50 on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, an investor could guarantee a profit by purchasing the stock on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and simultaneously selling the same amount of stock on the NYSE. Of course, the price difference must be sufficiently great to offset commissions. Arbitrage may be employed by using various security combinations including stock and options and convertibles and stock. See also basis trading, risk arbitrage.

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Arbitrage

An investment practice that attempts to profit from inefficiencies in price by making transactions that offset each other. For example, one may buy a security at a low price and, within a few seconds, re-sell it to a willing buyer at a higher price. Arbitrageurs can keep prices relatively stable as markets try to resist their attempts at price exploitation. Arbitrageurs often use computer programs because their transactions can be complex and occur in rapid succession.

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Arbitrage. Arbitrage is the technique of simultaneously buying at a lower price in one market and selling at a higher price in another market to make a profit on the spread between the prices.

Although the price difference may be very small, arbitrageurs, or arbs, typically trade regularly and in huge volume, so they can make sizable profits.

But the strategy, which depends on split-second timing, can also backfire if interest rates, prices, currency exchange rates, or other factors move in ways the arbitrageurs don't anticipate.