Briefing

How Secondary Trade Affects Social Welfare in an Over-the-Counter Market


Abstract: Over-the-counter markets with secondary trade and an unfixed quantity of assets suffer from inefficiency stemming from a double-sided hold-up problem between consumers and intermediaries. The inefficiency cannot be resolved through bargaining power alone, since efficiency would require both intermediaries and consumers to have full bargaining power. A budget neutral tax/subsidy scheme could resolve this inefficiency and increase social welfare by up to 13.3 percent.

Access Documents

Authors

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Part of Series: Richmond Fed Economic Brief

Publication Date: 2025-12-29

Volume: 25

Issue: 46