stock-liquidity

Stock Liquidity Analysis Skill

Analyzes stock liquidity across multiple dimensions — bid-ask spreads, volume patterns, order book depth, estimated market impact, and turnover ratios — using data from Yahoo Finance via yfinance.

Liquidity matters because it determines the real cost of trading. The quoted price is not what you actually pay — spreads, slippage, and market impact all eat into returns, especially for larger positions or less liquid names.

Important: This is for research and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. yfinance is not affiliated with Yahoo, Inc.

Step 1: Ensure Dependencies Are Available

Current environment status:

!`python3 -c "import yfinance, pandas, numpy; print(f'yfinance={yfinance.__version__} pandas={pandas.__version__} numpy={numpy.__version__}')" 2>/dev/null || echo "DEPS_MISSING"`

If DEPS_MISSING, install required packages:

import subprocess, sys
subprocess.check_call([sys.executable, "-m", "pip", "install", "-q", "yfinance", "pandas", "numpy"])

If already installed, skip and proceed.

Step 2: Route to the Correct Sub-Skill

Classify the user's request and jump to the matching section. If the user asks for a general liquidity assessment without specifying a particular metric, run Sub-Skill A (Liquidity Dashboard) which computes all key metrics together.

Defaults

Sub-Skill A: Liquidity Dashboard

Goal: Produce a comprehensive liquidity snapshot combining all key metrics for one or more tickers.

A1: Fetch data and compute all metrics

import yfinance as yf
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

def liquidity_dashboard(ticker_symbol, period="3mo"):
    ticker = yf.Ticker(ticker_symbol)
    info = ticker.info
    hist = ticker.history(period=period)

    if hist.empty:
        return None

    # --- Spread metrics (from current quote) ---
    bid = info.get("bid", None)
    ask = info.get("ask", None)
    current_price = info.get("currentPrice") or info.get("regularMarketPrice") or hist["Close"].iloc[-1]

    spread = None
    spread_pct = None
    if bid and ask and bid > 0 and ask > 0:
        spread = round(ask - bid, 4)
        midpoint = (ask + bid) / 2
        spread_pct = round((spread / midpoint) * 100, 4)

    # --- Volume metrics ---
    avg_volume = hist["Volume"].mean()
    median_volume = hist["Volume"].median()
    avg_dollar_volume = (hist["Close"] * hist["Volume"]).mean()
    volume_std = hist["Volume"].std()
    volume_cv = volume_std / avg_volume if avg_volume > 0 else None  # coefficient of variation

    # --- Turnover ratio ---
    shares_outstanding = info.get("sharesOutstanding", None)
    float_shares = info.get("floatShares", None)
    base_shares = float_shares or shares_outstanding
    turnover_ratio = round(avg_volume / base_shares, 6) if base_shares else None

    # --- Amihud illiquidity ratio ---
    # Average of |daily return| / daily dollar volume
    returns = hist["Close"].pct_change().dropna()
    dollar_volume = (hist["Close"] * hist["Volume"]).iloc[1:]  # align with returns
    amihud_values = returns.abs() / dollar_volume
    amihud = amihud_values[amihud_values.replace([np.inf, -np.inf], np.nan).notna()].mean()

    # --- Market impact estimate (square-root model) ---
    # For a hypothetical order of 1% of ADV
    adv = avg_volume
    order_size = adv * 0.01
    daily_volatility = returns.std()
    sigma = daily_volatility
    participation_rate = order_size / adv if adv > 0 else 0
    impact_bps = sigma * np.sqrt(participation_rate) * 10000  # in basis points

    return {
        "ticker": ticker_symbol,
        "current_price": round(current_price, 2),
        "bid": bid,
        "ask": ask,
        "spread": spread,
        "spread_pct": spread_pct,
        "avg_daily_volume": int(avg_volume),
        "median_daily_volume": int(median_volume),
        "avg_dollar_volume": round(avg_dollar_volume, 0),
        "volume_cv": round(volume_cv, 3) if volume_cv else None,
        "shares_outstanding": shares_outstanding,
        "float_shares": float_shares,
        "turnover_ratio": turnover_ratio,
        "amihud_illiquidity": round(amihud * 1e9, 4) if not np.isnan(amihud) else None,
        "daily_volatility": round(daily_volatility * 100, 2),
        "impact_1pct_adv_bps": round(impact_bps, 2),
        "observations": len(hist),
    }

A2: Interpret and present

Present as a summary card. For the Amihud illiquidity ratio, multiply by 1e9 for readability (standard convention).

Liquidity grade (use these rough thresholds for US equities):

When comparing multiple tickers, show a side-by-side table and highlight which is more liquid and why.

Sub-Skill B: Spread Analysis

Goal: Detailed bid-ask spread analysis including current spread, historical context from options data, and effective spread estimates.

B1: Current spread from quote

import yfinance as yf

def spread_analysis(ticker_symbol):
    ticker = yf.Ticker(ticker_symbol)
    info = ticker.info

    bid = info.get("bid", 0)
    ask = info.get("ask", 0)
    bid_size = info.get("bidSize", None)
    ask_size = info.get("askSize", None)
    current_price = info.get("currentPrice") or info.get("regularMarketPrice", 0)

    result = {"bid": bid, "ask": ask, "bid_size": bid_size, "ask_size": ask_size}

    if bid > 0 and ask > 0:
        midpoint = (bid + ask) / 2
        result["absolute_spread"] = round(ask - bid, 4)
        result["relative_spread_pct"] = round((ask - bid) / midpoint * 100, 4)
        result["relative_spread_bps"] = round((ask - bid) / midpoint * 10000, 2)
    return result

B2: Options spread context

Options data from yfinance includes bid/ask for each strike, which gives a sense of derivatives liquidity:

def options_spread_analysis(ticker_symbol):
    ticker = yf.Ticker(ticker_symbol)
    expirations = ticker.options
    if not expirations:
        return None

    # Use nearest expiration
    chain = ticker.option_chain(expirations[0])
    for label, df in [("Calls", chain.calls), ("Puts", chain.puts)]:
        atm = df[df["inTheMoney"]].tail(3).append(df[~df["inTheMoney"]].head(3))
        atm = pd.concat([df[df["inTheMoney"]].tail(3), df[~df["inTheMoney"]].head(3)])
        atm["spread"] = atm["ask"] - atm["bid"]
        atm["spread_pct"] = (atm["spread"] / ((atm["ask"] + atm["bid"]) / 2) * 100).round(2)
    return chain

B3: Present results

Show:

Sub-Skill C: Volume Analysis

Goal: Analyze trading volume patterns — averages, trends, relative volume, and dollar volume.

C1: Compute volume metrics

import yfinance as yf
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

def volume_analysis(ticker_symbol, period="3mo"):
    ticker = yf.Ticker(ticker_symbol)
    hist = ticker.history(period=period)

    if hist.empty:
        return None

    vol = hist["Volume"]
    close = hist["Close"]
    dollar_vol = vol * close

    # Relative volume (today vs average)
    rvol = vol.iloc[-1] / vol.mean() if vol.mean() > 0 else None

    # Volume trend (linear regression slope over the period)
    x = np.arange(len(vol))
    slope, _ = np.polyfit(x, vol.values, 1) if len(vol) > 1 else (0, 0)
    trend_pct = (slope * len(vol)) / vol.mean() * 100  # % change over period

    # Volume profile by day of week
    hist_copy = hist.copy()
    hist_copy["DayOfWeek"] = hist_copy.index.dayofweek
    day_names = {0: "Mon", 1: "Tue", 2: "Wed", 3: "Thu", 4: "Fri"}
    vol_by_day = hist_copy.groupby("DayOfWeek")["Volume"].mean()
    vol_by_day.index = vol_by_day.index.map(day_names)

    # High/low volume days
    high_vol_days = hist.nlargest(5, "Volume")[["Close", "Volume"]]
    low_vol_days = hist.nsmallest(5, "Volume")[["Close", "Volume"]]

    return {
        "avg_volume": int(vol.mean()),
        "median_volume": int(vol.median()),
        "avg_dollar_volume": round(dollar_vol.mean(), 0),
        "current_volume": int(vol.iloc[-1]),
        "relative_volume": round(rvol, 2) if rvol else None,
        "volume_trend_pct": round(trend_pct, 1),
        "volume_by_day": vol_by_day.to_dict(),
        "high_vol_days": high_vol_days,
        "low_vol_days": low_vol_days,
        "max_volume": int(vol.max()),
        "min_volume": int(vol.min()),
    }

C2: Present results

Show:

Sub-Skill D: Order Book Depth

Goal: Estimate order book depth using available bid/ask data from the equity quote and options chain.

Yahoo Finance does not provide full Level 2 / order book data. Be upfront about this limitation. What we can do:

D1: Gather available depth data

import yfinance as yf
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

def order_book_proxy(ticker_symbol):
    ticker = yf.Ticker(ticker_symbol)
    info = ticker.info

    # Top of book
    top_of_book = {
        "bid": info.get("bid"),
        "ask": info.get("ask"),
        "bid_size": info.get("bidSize"),
        "ask_size": info.get("askSize"),
    }

    # Intraday volume distribution (5-min bars, last 5 days)
    intraday = ticker.history(period="5d", interval="5m")
    if not intraday.empty:
        intraday_copy = intraday.copy()
        intraday_copy["time"] = intraday_copy.index.time
        vol_by_time = intraday_copy.groupby("time")["Volume"].mean()
        # Normalize to percentage of daily volume
        total = vol_by_time.sum()
        vol_pct = (vol_by_time / total * 100).round(2) if total > 0 else vol_by_time

    # Options open interest as depth proxy
    expirations = ticker.options
    if expirations:
        chain = ticker.option_chain(expirations[0])
        total_call_oi = chain.calls["openInterest"].sum()
        total_put_oi = chain.puts["openInterest"].sum()
        total_call_volume = chain.calls["volume"].sum()
        total_put_volume = chain.puts["volume"].sum()

    return top_of_book, vol_pct if not intraday.empty else None

D2: Present results

Show:

Sub-Skill E: Market Impact

Goal: Estimate how much a given order size would move the price, using the square-root market impact model.

The standard model in practice is: Impact (%) = σ × √(Q / V) where σ is daily volatility, Q is order size in shares, and V is average daily volume. This is a simplified version of the Almgren-Chriss framework used by institutional traders.

E1: Compute market impact estimate

import yfinance as yf
import numpy as np

def market_impact(ticker_symbol, order_shares=None, order_dollars=None, period="3mo"):
    ticker = yf.Ticker(ticker_symbol)
    hist = ticker.history(period=period)
    info = ticker.info

    if hist.empty:
        return None

    current_price = info.get("currentPrice") or hist["Close"].iloc[-1]
    avg_volume = hist["Volume"].mean()
    daily_volatility = hist["Close"].pct_change().dropna().std()

    # Determine order size in shares
    if order_dollars and not order_shares:
        order_shares = order_dollars / current_price
    elif not order_shares:
        # Default: estimate for various sizes
        order_shares = avg_volume * 0.01  # 1% of ADV

    participation_rate = order_shares / avg_volume if avg_volume > 0 else 0
    pct_adv = (order_shares / avg_volume * 100) if avg_volume > 0 else 0

    # Square-root impact model
    impact_pct = daily_volatility * np.sqrt(participation_rate) * 100
    impact_bps = impact_pct * 100
    impact_dollars = impact_pct / 100 * current_price * order_shares

    # Generate impact curve for multiple order sizes
    sizes = [0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50]  # as fraction of ADV
    curve = []
    for s in sizes:
        q = avg_volume * s
        imp = daily_volatility * np.sqrt(s) * 100
        curve.append({
            "pct_adv": round(s * 100, 1),
            "shares": int(q),
            "dollars": round(q * current_price, 0),
            "impact_bps": round(imp * 100, 1),
            "impact_dollars_per_share": round(imp / 100 * current_price, 4),
        })

    return {
        "ticker": ticker_symbol,
        "current_price": round(current_price, 2),
        "avg_daily_volume": int(avg_volume),
        "daily_volatility_pct": round(daily_volatility * 100, 2),
        "order_shares": int(order_shares),
        "order_dollars": round(order_shares * current_price, 0),
        "pct_of_adv": round(pct_adv, 2),
        "estimated_impact_bps": round(impact_bps, 1),
        "estimated_impact_pct": round(impact_pct, 4),
        "estimated_impact_total_dollars": round(impact_dollars, 2),
        "impact_curve": curve,
    }

E2: Present results

Show:

Sub-Skill F: Turnover Ratio

Goal: Measure how actively a stock trades relative to its shares outstanding and free float.

F1: Compute turnover metrics

import yfinance as yf
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

def turnover_analysis(ticker_symbol, period="3mo"):
    ticker = yf.Ticker(ticker_symbol)
    hist = ticker.history(period=period)
    info = ticker.info

    if hist.empty:
        return None

    avg_volume = hist["Volume"].mean()
    shares_outstanding = info.get("sharesOutstanding")
    float_shares = info.get("floatShares")

    result = {
        "avg_daily_volume": int(avg_volume),
        "shares_outstanding": shares_outstanding,
        "float_shares": float_shares,
    }

    if shares_outstanding:
        daily_turnover = avg_volume / shares_outstanding
        result["daily_turnover_ratio"] = round(daily_turnover, 6)
        result["annualized_turnover"] = round(daily_turnover * 252, 2)
        result["days_to_trade_float"] = round(
            (float_shares or shares_outstanding) / avg_volume, 1
        ) if avg_volume > 0 else None

    if float_shares:
        float_turnover = avg_volume / float_shares
        result["float_turnover_daily"] = round(float_turnover, 6)
        result["float_turnover_annualized"] = round(float_turnover * 252, 2)

    # Turnover trend
    vol = hist["Volume"]
    base = float_shares or shares_outstanding
    if base:
        hist_copy = hist.copy()
        hist_copy["turnover"] = hist_copy["Volume"] / base
        recent_turnover = hist_copy["turnover"].tail(20).mean()
        older_turnover = hist_copy["turnover"].head(20).mean()
        if older_turnover > 0:
            result["turnover_trend_pct"] = round(
                (recent_turnover - older_turnover) / older_turnover * 100, 1
            )

    return result

F2: Present results

Show:

Step 3: Respond to the User

After running the appropriate sub-skill:

Always include

Always caveat

Practical guidance (mention when relevant)

Important: Never recommend specific trades. Present liquidity data and let the user make their own decisions.

Reference Files

Read the reference file when you need exact formulas, edge case handling, or deeper background on liquidity metrics.