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Heterogeneous market efficiency in cryptocurrency markets: a multi-frequency memory-based approach

Heterogeneous market efficiency in cryptocurrency markets: a multi-frequency memory-based approach
Heterogeneous market efficiency in cryptocurrency markets: a multi-frequency memory-based approach

Empirical cryptocurrency researchers frequently use concepts of mean reversion, trend and cointegration to characterise price dynamics and tests of market inefficiency. This paper introduces a broader memory-driven framework to examine how the concept of market efficiency has evolved over time, especially by characterising varied mean-reversion strategies with slow-paced error corrections to identify a semi-strong market efficiency in crypto markets. We find strong evidence that market efficiency in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) is heterogeneous and time-varying across all frequencies. Event shocks and structural breaks exert substantial influence on abrupt changes in efficiency, while results at the 240-min sampling interval show robustness. The findings suggest that policymakers should time interventions to mitigate lag effects, release policy during low-leverage periods and closely monitor the two distinct waves of efficiency breaks as well as cross-frequency risk exposure. For practitioners, linking efficiency dynamics to trading strategies can enhance risk management and statistical arbitrage opportunities, while scholars can build advanced regime-switching models informed by these empirical patterns. This paper provides new insight into price patterns and market efficiency dynamics, contributing to the understanding of the complex interplay between event shocks, structural breaks and regime switching of market efficiency in cryptocurrency markets.

cryptocurrency, fractionally cointegrated VAR, market efficiency, regime switching, structural breaks, systemic memory
1076-9307
Li, Shuyue
ec4a4d90-2d5b-44e3-bbcb-eb4bd188330c
Mishra, Tapas
218ef618-6b3e-471b-a686-15460da145e0
Yarovaya, Larisa
2bd189e8-3bad-48b0-9d09-5d96a4132889
Li, Shuyue
ec4a4d90-2d5b-44e3-bbcb-eb4bd188330c
Mishra, Tapas
218ef618-6b3e-471b-a686-15460da145e0
Yarovaya, Larisa
2bd189e8-3bad-48b0-9d09-5d96a4132889

Li, Shuyue, Mishra, Tapas and Yarovaya, Larisa (2026) Heterogeneous market efficiency in cryptocurrency markets: a multi-frequency memory-based approach. International Journal of Finance & Economics. (doi:10.1002/ijfe.70179).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Empirical cryptocurrency researchers frequently use concepts of mean reversion, trend and cointegration to characterise price dynamics and tests of market inefficiency. This paper introduces a broader memory-driven framework to examine how the concept of market efficiency has evolved over time, especially by characterising varied mean-reversion strategies with slow-paced error corrections to identify a semi-strong market efficiency in crypto markets. We find strong evidence that market efficiency in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) is heterogeneous and time-varying across all frequencies. Event shocks and structural breaks exert substantial influence on abrupt changes in efficiency, while results at the 240-min sampling interval show robustness. The findings suggest that policymakers should time interventions to mitigate lag effects, release policy during low-leverage periods and closely monitor the two distinct waves of efficiency breaks as well as cross-frequency risk exposure. For practitioners, linking efficiency dynamics to trading strategies can enhance risk management and statistical arbitrage opportunities, while scholars can build advanced regime-switching models informed by these empirical patterns. This paper provides new insight into price patterns and market efficiency dynamics, contributing to the understanding of the complex interplay between event shocks, structural breaks and regime switching of market efficiency in cryptocurrency markets.

Text
Understanding_Heterogeneous_Market_Efficiency_in_Cryptocurrencies__A_Multi_Frequency_and_Memory_ (1) - Accepted Manuscript
Restricted to Repository staff only until 26 February 2028.
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Accepted/In Press date: 22 December 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 February 2026
Keywords: cryptocurrency, fractionally cointegrated VAR, market efficiency, regime switching, structural breaks, systemic memory

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 510535
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/510535
ISSN: 1076-9307
PURE UUID: 6328828c-bb6b-454a-9bae-14f67724b6dd
ORCID for Shuyue Li: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0002-6671-7162
ORCID for Tapas Mishra: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6902-2326
ORCID for Larisa Yarovaya: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9638-2917

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Date deposited: 13 Apr 2026 16:38
Last modified: 14 Apr 2026 02:01

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