There are also costs associated with placing non-marketable limit orders[1], and nasdaq has found that after factoring in the costs/benefits into account, the overall cost is pretty much the same. In that case you might as well place a market order and save yourself the time.
>the “benefits” of waiting increase roughly in line with the risks of not getting a fill. That seems to indicate the market is especially efficient at pricing liquidity.
For someone buying ETF's monthly or something similar this is mostly correct. Your 100 share order is unlikely to move the market, and the time you spent trying to passively set up the order, and then babysit it is unlikely to be worth the time investment.
In crypto markets the difference between maker and taker fees can sometimes make it worth waiting, but you need to keep in mind that every minute you spend not having made the trade, is price risk that you are exposed to. And saving 5bps on fees might lead to you losing 50bps in price movement.
>the “benefits” of waiting increase roughly in line with the risks of not getting a fill. That seems to indicate the market is especially efficient at pricing liquidity.
[1] see: "chart 4" https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/an-interns-guide-to-trading-...