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Insider Trading

About Insider Trading

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What is insider trading?

Insider trading, also known as insider dealing, is the malpractice of selling or buying securities such as equity and bonds by the insiders of a company, which includes the employees, directors, executives and promoters.
 
To prevent such acts and to promote fair trading in the market for the interest of common investors, the stock market regulator Sebi (the Securities and Exchange Board of India) has prohibited the firms to purchase their own shares from the secondary market.
Insider trading is one of the most serious malpractices that exists in the market.
 
Insider trading basically refers to the buying, selling or trading of shares or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) of a listed company using unpublished price-sensitive information (UPSI) that can affect the stock price that has not been disclosed yet.
 

Who is an insider?

The Sebi defines an ‘insider’ as someone who has access to price-sensitive information about a particular company's shares or securities. An insider can be anyone who has been associated with the company in some way during the six months preceding the insider trade.
 
That person could be an employee, a director, relative, banker or legal counsel to the company or even an official of the stock exchanges, trustees, employees or of an asset management company (AMC) that worked with the company.
 
Insiders, who have access to confidential and exclusive information about the issuer of a particular security or stock, benefit from buying or selling undisclosed securities before they fluctuate in price.
 

What is UPSI?

UPSI refers to a piece of exclusive information related to a firm’s stock prices, quarterly results, acquisition deals, mergers or any kind of sensitive activities that have not been shared with the public at large. When insiders are able to access the UPSI, they illegally conduct trade dealings for personal gains.
 
For example, a company director informs his friend about a yet-to-be-declared deal and the latter disseminates that information to his colleagues who then buy that company’s stocks. Then, the manager, his friend and his colleagues are liable to be booked by Sebi for violation of PTI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations.
 
In India, insider trades are regulated by the Sebi under the Insider Trading Regulations, 2015. In fact, the market regulator can impose fines and prohibit individuals or entities from trading in the capital market if found in violation of rules.
 

Penalty for insider trading

If any insider who -
  • either on his own or on behalf of any other person, deals in securities of a corporate listed on the stock exchange on the basis of any unpublished price-sensitive information; or

  • communicates any unpublished information to any person, with or without his permission for that particular information except as required in the ordinary course of business or under any law; or

  • procures for any other entity to deal in any securities of a corporate on the basis of unpublished price-sensitive information,

shall be liable to a penalty by the Sebi
 

Latest Updates on Insider Trading

TBS said the relative used the information to make at least several hundreds of thousands of yen worth of profit from equity trading

Updated On: 23 Oct 2024 | 11:26 AM IST

Rashmi Saluja faces calls for removal ahead of key shareholders' meeting amid insider trading allegations and ED investigation

Updated On: 30 Sep 2024 | 1:27 PM IST

Sebi board meeting today, Sept 30, will be the first meeting since allegations were pressed against Sebi Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch by Hindenburg Research. Here's what to expect from the meeting

Updated On: 30 Sep 2024 | 9:57 AM IST

According to the indictment from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, the four defendants shared confidential information within a close circle of family and friends

Updated On: 16 Sep 2024 | 6:51 AM IST

The case originated after Sebi identified suspicious trading patterns around the financial results announcements of Infosys for four quarters, covering from December 2019 to September 2020

Updated On: 09 Sep 2024 | 10:50 PM IST

The directives came after the three persons filed applications with Sebi proposing to settle the instant proceedings initiated against them

Updated On: 13 Aug 2024 | 11:15 PM IST

This came in the wake of Sebi's passing two orders regarding front-running cases involving Axis AMC and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)

Updated On: 05 Aug 2024 | 2:54 PM IST

The market regulator has suggested changes in the definition of "connected persons" and "relative" to address any gaps in the norms and possible violations

Updated On: 29 Jul 2024 | 8:00 PM IST

Matter pertains to 2020-21 when IT major entered into a partnership with global asset manager Vanguard

Updated On: 27 Jun 2024 | 11:41 PM IST

Lewis said he hoped to make amends and to rebuild the trust that I have squandered for the remainder of his life

Updated On: 05 Apr 2024 | 9:56 AM IST

Agreement will have the two companies work together in 'creating market awareness'

Updated On: 15 Mar 2024 | 7:22 PM IST

Sharad Pawar's nephew has been asked to pay penalty within 45 days for violating norms in Poonawalla Fincorp (earlier Magma Fincorp) case

Updated On: 17 Jan 2024 | 10:51 AM IST

SAT on Wednesday quashed regulator Sebi's order banning Future Retail chairperson Kishore Biyani and some other promoters from the securities market for one year in an insider trading case.

Updated On: 20 Dec 2023 | 5:57 PM IST

The regulator slapped a fine of Rs 20 lakh on Jaisingh Sudhirkumar Choudhary, Rs 15 lakh on Menal Rasesh Parikh and Rs 10 lakh each on Himanshu K Desai, Anirudh R Parikh and Sudhirkumar Choudhary

Updated On: 18 Sep 2023 | 11:07 PM IST

The settlement order came after the applicant, Debashis Ghosh, proposed to settle the instant proceedings initiated against him "without admitting or denying the findings of facts and conclusions"

Updated On: 23 Aug 2023 | 10:56 PM IST

Lewis faces more than a dozen counts of securities fraud for alleged brazen conduct that spanned about eight years

Updated On: 27 Jul 2023 | 12:13 AM IST

In a parallel action, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York also announced criminal charges against the duo

Updated On: 01 Jul 2023 | 10:05 PM IST

The six entities had filed the settlement applications under the provisions of Sebi (Settlement proceedings) rules in respect of the alleged violation of norms, according to a Sebi order

Updated On: 22 Jun 2023 | 10:03 PM IST

Four entities settled with capital markets regulator Sebi a case pertaining to alleged insider trading in the shares of Poonawalla Fincorp Ltd, earlier known as Magma Fincorp Ltd

Updated On: 17 May 2023 | 11:42 PM IST

This came after Goenka proposed to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to settle the proceedings "without admitting or denying the findings" through a settlement order

Updated On: 13 Apr 2023 | 8:30 PM IST