Price Discovery in the Foreign Exchange Market a Thesis Submitted to the Cass Business School, City University of London, for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Finance

This thesis investigates the price discovery in the foreign exchange market using high frequency data. Traditional exchange rate models assume market homogeneity and the sole existence of public information. However. recent studies suggest such assumptions are not well founded and have generated the 'disconnection' puzzle of exchange rates deviating from their fundamentals in the short and medium term. Using EFX tick-by-tick data, we find that information is not always available to all and the actual price discovery process is dynamic and asymmetric. It suggests that some market participants, trading systems or even exchange rates may possess private information. which helps them to lead others in finding the equilibrium prices. It further reveals the importance of studying the microstructure of the foreign exchange market, which may in the future solve the 'disconnection' puzzle that has baffled the exchange rate theory for the past decades. 11