Arbitrageur

An arbitrageur is an individual or an organization that engages in the act of arbitrage, taking advantage of market imbalances. For example, an arbitrageur would locate a commodity (i.e. grain) or a security (i.e. stock) in a lower-priced market and then immediately resell in another market at a higher price, in the hope of profiting from the price differential. An arbitrageur might participate in risk-free arbitrage (true arbitrage) or an arbitrageur might be involved in risk arbitrage (statistical arbitrage). An arbitrageur would be engaged in risk-free arbitrage when buying stock at a low price and than selling high. The types of risk or statistical arbitrage that an arbitrageur might be involved in include merger, liquidation and/or pairs trading. Often, an arbitrageur is a seasoned investor who has a deep understanding of the markets and can exploit hard-to-find opportunities. From an economic standpoint, an arbitrageur can help reduce market price disparities and increase a market’s liquidity.