The Effects of Price Limits on Bursa Malaysia During 2007-2008 Crisis

One type of circuit breaker is price limit which is used in future markets and other stock exchanges of emerging markets in order to prevent markets from the excessive volatility, market controlling, crash occurrence and enhancing the market stability. The range of price limits in most of stock exchanges has changed with specific reasons. Researchers have different opinions about the effects of applying the price limit system and positive or negative effects which are caused by using this system do not still confirmed in conducted researches definitely. This paper examines the effects of price limits on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange before and after 2007-2008 crisis by testing the volatility spillover and trading interference hypotheses. The statistical results of study do not support the tested hypotheses since smaller volatility is experienced by stockshit category during postlimit days compared to other categories and the trading volume of stockshit does not increase after price-limit-hits that it leads to understand the concept that this system does not prevent rational trading on price-limit-hit day.