Markets are becoming their own worst enemies, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
The stock-market rout in early February that caused a spike in the Cboe Volatility Index is a symptom of growing “financial fragility,” or big swings in prices caused by breakdowns in markets themselves as opposed to changes in fundamentals, an economist at the bank wrote Monday in a note to clients. To make matters worse, Goldman says there’s reason to be concerned about liquidity drying up during periods when markets are distressed.
“Future liquidity disruptions may amplify price declines when the current cycle turns,” wrote Charles Himmelberg, Goldman’s co-chief markets economist. “Trading liquidity may be worse than it looks because trading volume in many major markets is increasingly dominated by more speed and less capital.”...
Source: bloomberg.com