The impact of transaction costs on state-contingent claims mispricing

We analyze the impact that transaction costs have on asset mispricing in state-contingent claims markets. In particular, we examine betting markets, in which, it has been argued, transaction costs cause the favorite-longshot bias, a pricing anomaly analogous to the volatility smile in options markets. By using a heterogeneous agents model, we prove that transaction costs alone cannot cause mispricing. Also, we run agent-based simulations to character- ize the response of market prices to increments in transaction costs. We find that transaction costs have a significant impact on market inefficiency, by amplifying existing mispricing both directly, influencing market prices, and indirectly, inducing a non-linear response from the agents.