Insider Trading

Insider Trading is using information not publicly available and which has been received illicitly to make trade decisions.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) defines illegal insider trading as:
"The buying or selling a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, on the basis of material, nonpublic information about the security."
Material information is any information that could substantially impact an investor's decision to buy or sell the security. Non-public information is information that is not legally available to the public. The question of legality stems from the SEC's attempt to maintain a fair marketplace. An individual who has access to insider information would have an unfair edge over other investors, who do not have the same access, and could potentially make larger, unfair profits than their fellow investors. Illegal insider trading includes tipping others when you have any sort of material nonpublic information. Legal insider trading happens when directors of the company purchase or sell shares, but they disclose their transactions legally. The Securities and Exchange Commission has rules to protect investments from the effects of insider trading. It does not matter how the material nonpublic information was received or if the person is employed by the company. For example, suppose someone learns about nonpublic material information from a family member and shares it with a friend. If the friend uses this insider information to profit in the stock market, then all three of the people involved could be prosecuted.