What is a Transparent Market?

A transparent market arises when market participants have full access to pricing information. In this environment, assets and liabilities are priced better, since buyers and sellers have full knowledge about transactions. The rules governing financial reporting are intended to encourage transparent markets. This is especially the case when securities are being publicly traded, since the Securities and Exchange Commission requires a high level of financial detail from the issuers of these securities.

The characteristics of a transparent market are as follows:

Common access. All participants in a market have access to the same market information. This means that there is no information asymmetry, where some participants have an advantage over others because they have access to more information.
Order book transparency. Everyone in the market can see the entire order book, which is comprised of all buy and sell orders and the associated prices at which they can be transacted. This informs market participants about the level of supply and demand, which can impact prices.
Pricing transparency. Everyone in the market can see the latest price at which an asset was sold or a liability was settled. This information is then incorporated into current market transactions.
Volume transparency. Everyone in the market can see the most recent trading volume information, which tells them the level of demand for the items being sold. High demand will likely lead to higher prices, while the reverse holds for lower demand.