One of the oldest investment strategies is arbitrage. Traders must keep an eye on market activity and take notice of price fluctuations in various assets. Knowing how to spot arbitrage possibilities can help you make money while trading stocks and other commodities.
Arbitrage
Arbitrage is a function of generating income from trading particular currencies, securities, and commodities in two different markets. The arbitrageurs reap a margin from the varying price of the same commodity in two different exchanges or markets.
It is a practice that takes advantage of market inefficiency. The same commodity, currency, or asset is priced differently in two or more distinct markets. It indirectly improves the markets by highlighting loopholes. But as soon as the market makes those improvements, the profitability for the arbitrageurs terminates.
How Does Arbitrage Work?
Arbitrage is the technique of gaining small profits by purchasing and selling shares on separate markets or exchanges at the same time. A spread is a difference in price between two markets or exchanges for a particular security, currency, or commodity; it is also known as the arbitrageur's profit.
While arbitrageurs attempt to profit on market incompetence, they end up identifying pricing flaws for a certain stock. Markets actually improve as a result of this. As a result, as soon as the market improves, the arbitrageurs' profitability ends.
Arbitrageurs are typically large financial firms that invest large sums of money in the buying and selling of commodities, assets, or currencies. They work in two distinct markets. Furthermore, because prices do not move when markets are efficient, the arbitrageur must execute multiple deals to make a decent profit. As a result, arbitrageurs must constantly seek out new chances.
Types of Arbitrage
The table below talks about the different types of arbitrage:
1) Pure Arbitrage: | The arbitrageur makes a buy or sells decision right away, without having to wait for funds to clear. |
2) Retail Arbitrage: | This is a popular e-commerce activity. Arbitrageurs buy a product at a low price from a local merchant and then offer it for a high price on an e-commerce website. |
3) Risk Arbitrage: | Investors frequently forecast a stock's price rise and, as a result, buy and hold the stock. In other words, investors are anticipating a price increase in another market. |
4) Convertible Arbitrage: | Arbitrageurs profit from holding a long position in convertible securities while simultaneously shorting the underlying stock. |
5) Merger Arbitrage: | This is a tactical endeavor. When arbitrageurs suspect an acquisition or merger, they purchase the target company's stock. They sell the shares when the prices rise after the merger. |
6) Dividend Arbitrage: | Traders that use this strategy buy stocks immediately before the ex-dividend date. The ex-dividend date is the deadline for completing the purchase of the underlying stock by the investor. He is only then entitled to the payout on the specified date. |
7) Futures Arbitrage: | The stock is bought with cash and then sold in the futures market. Futures are usually priced higher than cash to account for the future premium. On expiry, however, both prices converge, giving the trader an arbitrage profit. |
When Does Arbitrage Take Place?
Types of arbitrage trading can occur under three different circ*mstances. They're as follows:
- Markets may value an asset differently, resulting in two values that are not equal. If the prices for the same commodity are the same, the arbitrageur may not be able to make a profit, which is why there must be a price difference across markets.
- Some markets may perform better than others, which might result in price differences. If the Shanghai Stock Exchange has a downturn, for example, its pricing may differ from those on the Stock Exchange for the same asset.
- Stocks and other commodities may gain in value over time, or they may arrive on the market at a discount. The market's inefficiencies create an arbitrage opportunity.
Read about National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange
Benefits of the types of arbitrage strategies
The following are the main benefits of arbitrage:
- Since the purchasing and selling prices are known in advance, earnings from well-performed arbitrage can be deemed risk-free. Unlike typical stock or bond trading, where you buy security now and sell it later, arbitrage does not require you to wager on a security's future performance.
- You don't even need to invest funds to take advantage of an arbitrage opportunity if you're simply capitalizing on pricing mistakes or inconsistencies (for example, through locational arbitrage).
