Liquidity Risk
The risk of being unable to exit a position at a reasonable price, or at all, when required.
How it is identified
Test: the position size is large relative to normal traded volume, or the security can become untradable under stress
Unit
qualitative
In depth
Liquidity risk has two faces: market liquidity, the ability to sell an asset, and funding liquidity, the ability to meet cash obligations as they fall due. They interact badly — a margin call forces a sale precisely when the market will not absorb one. Liquidity is not a fixed property of a security; it evaporates under stress, which is exactly when it is needed, so measuring it on a normal day understates the risk. In India the small-cap segment and the lower-rated debt market are where this risk has repeatedly materialised, most visibly when debt funds could not sell holdings to meet redemptions.
Worked example
A position of 3,00,000 shares in a stock trading 30,000 shares a day is ten full days of the entire market's volume. In a stressed week volume halves, and the exit becomes twenty days at prices set by the urgency of the seller.
Illustrative figures, chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow. Not a live price and not a valuation of any company.
Educational reference only
This entry explains what “Liquidity Risk” means. It is not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any numbers above are illustrative, not live prices, and nothing here predicts price direction or rates a stock. Consider your own circumstances and consult a SEBI-registered investment adviser before acting.