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Nobel Laureates

Price Deregulation in the Brokerage Industry: An Empirical Analysis


Volume: Volume 9, No. 2

Issue: Autumn 1978

Pages: pp. 633-641

Authors: Aharon R. Ofer and Arie Melnick

Title: Price Deregulation in the Brokerage Industry: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract: A Securities and Exchange Commission ruling, which went into effect on May 1, 1975, prohibited securities exchanges from fixing brokerage commission rates. This ruling forced the brokerage industry to move to competitive pricing. Our study analyzes the pricing mechanism that evolved following price deregulation. The results indicate that price competition has led to lower prices and to a rate structure that reflects the costs of executing different types of transactions.


JEL Classification

Industry Studies Business and Legal Services (6354)
Capital Markets Empirical Studies, Including Regulation (3132)