Crypto Wash Trading

Lin Cong, Xi Li, Ke Tang and Yang Yang

No 30783, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We introduce systematic tests exploiting robust statistical and behavioral patterns in trading to detect fake transactions on 29 cryptocurrency exchanges. Regulated exchanges feature patterns consistently observed in financial markets and nature; abnormal first-significant-digit distributions, size rounding, and transaction tail distributions on unregulated exchanges reveal rampant manipulations unlikely driven by strategy or exchange heterogeneity. We quantify the wash trading on each unregulated exchange, which averaged over 70% of the reported volume. We further document how these fabricated volumes (trillions of dollars annually) improve exchange ranking, temporarily distort prices, and relate to exchange characteristics (e.g., age and userbase), market conditions, and regulation.

JEL-codes: G18 G23 G29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ban, nep-fmk, nep-mst and nep-pay
Note: AP CF PR
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published as Lin William Cong & Xi Li & Ke Tang & Yang Yang, 2023. "Crypto Wash Trading," Management Science, vol 69(11), pages 6427-6454.

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Journal Article: Crypto Wash Trading (2023)
Working Paper: Crypto Wash Trading (2021)
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