Arbitrage refers to the practice of simultaneously purchasing and selling the same asset in different markets to take advantage of its price discrepancies. This phenomenon exists due to market inefficiencies, and arbitrage allows traders to take advantage of and resolve them. Arbitrage can take place in any financial market, such as equities, commodities, and more.
To understand how arbitrage works, take this example: a company of a stock is trading at $30 on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). At the same time, it is also trading for $30.50 on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). A trader can buy the stock on the LSE and immediately sell it on the NYSE to potentially earn a profit of 5 cents per share.
With arbitrage, the price differences of assets will narrow between identical or similar assets, allowing traders to potentially make a profit while ironing out market inefficiencies. Lower-priced instruments are bided up, while higher-priced instruments are sold off. With the transactions made, arbitrage also helps to add liquidity to financial markets.
Simple arbitrage: This involves traders simultaneously buying and selling the same asset on two different exchanges.
Merger arbitrage: Merger arbitrage is often considered a hedge fund strategy. It involves the simultaneous purchasing and selling of the stock from two merging companies. As there is uncertainty regarding a deal before its completion, the stock price of the target company often sells below the acquisition price. This strategy is generally considered risky, as the deal may not be approved and is a longer-term proposition in comparison to other forms of arbitrage.
Triangular arbitrage: This is a trading strategy unique to the forex market. Triangular arbitrage involves three currency pairs, and it can be used when the currency’s exchange rates do not exactly match up, and forex traders can take advantage of their price discrepancies.
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