In: Accounting
Discuss in 1 to 2 paragraphs what is meant by Insider Trading
Answer
Insider Trading:
Insider trading is the buying or selling of a security by someone who has access to material nonpublic information about the security. Insider trading can be illegal or legal depending on when the insider makes the trade. It is illegal when the material information is still nonpublic.
Insider trading is defined as a malpractice wherein trade of a company's securities is undertaken by people who by virtue of their work have access to the otherwise non public information which can be crucial for making investment decisions.
When insiders, e.g. key employees or executives who have access
to the strategic information about the company, use the same for
trading in the company's stocks or securities, it is called insider
trading and is highly discouraged by the Securities and Exchange
Board of India to promote fair trading in the market for the
benefit of the common investor.
Insider trading is an unfair practice, wherein the other stock
holders are at a great disadvantage due to lack of important
insider non-public information. However, in certain cases if the
information has been made public, in a way that all concerned
investors have access to it, that will not be a case of illegal
insider trading.