US Probes Insider Trading in Prearranged Executive Stock Sales
- Stock-sale programs are meant to avoid claims of misconduct
- DOJ and SEC reviewing if insiders are instead gaming the plans
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US authorities are investigating whether executives have been gaming prearranged stock-sale programs designed to thwart the possibility of insider trading.
The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are using computer algorithms in a sweeping examination of preplanned equity sales by C-suite officials, according to people familiar with the matter. Investigators are concerned that some people are manipulating the stock-sale programs, which are intended to shield executives from misconduct allegations by letting them schedule transactions in advance and on preset dates.