Arbitrageur Capital Constraints
Arbitrageur capital constraints refer to the limitations on the amount of liquidity or collateral an arbitrageur can deploy to exploit price discrepancies across different cryptocurrency exchanges or derivative platforms. Because arbitrageurs often need to hold positions on both sides of a trade simultaneously to lock in risk-free profits, they require significant capital to maintain margin requirements or cover settlement obligations.
When capital is limited, arbitrageurs cannot fully close the price gap, allowing spreads to persist longer than they would in a perfectly efficient market. These constraints are exacerbated by high transaction fees, slow blockchain settlement times, and the need to maintain balances across fragmented venues.
During periods of extreme volatility, these constraints become more pronounced as exchanges increase margin requirements to mitigate counterparty risk. Consequently, the efficiency of price discovery is directly tied to the availability and mobility of capital within the ecosystem.