This paper examines the short-term impact of option listing before and after the moratorium. There is no clear evidence that option trading has an effect on volatility or variability of shares traded daily. However, when the results are evaluated by year of trading, two significant trends can be identified. A trend toward decreased price volatility and increased variability in the number of shares traded daily is shown in the underlying security shortly after option trading begins.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission is currently reviewing Rule 12b-1, which governs how fund advisors may pay for the distribution of fund shares. We provide evidence that even after adjusting for economies of scale, funds with 12b-1 fees have higher expense ratios net of the 12b-1 fees than do funds without such fees. This finding suggests that 12b-1 fees are more than just a deadweight cost. We also demonstrate that 12b-1 fees are highest for funds that ultimately fail, that the proportion of funds with 12b-1 fees is increasing over time, and that the level of those fees is also increasing over time. 2006 The Southern Finance Association and the Southwestern Finance Association.

In this study the impact of option listings on bid-ask spreads for over-the-counter stocks is examined. Option listings are hypothesized to impact spreads by affecting the inventory-holding cost and/or the informed risk component of spreads. Univariate tests reveal that the commencement ofoptions trading is accompanied by a statistically significant decline in percentage spreads. In addition, it is found that there is a significant rise in the average daily stock trading volume in the post-option-listing period, while there is no significant change in variance of the underlying stock returns in the short term. Regression results indicate that some stocks experience a decline in spreads even after controlling for changes in inventory-holding costs. The univariate and regression results taken in conjunction indicate a favorable impact ofoption listings on both the inventoryholding cost and informed-trading risk components of spread determinants. The combined evidence suggests that initiation of options trading enhances the overall liquidity of the underlying stock.