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Institutional trading during a wave of corporate scandals: “Perfect Payday”?

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  • Bernile, Gennaro
  • Sulaeman, Johan
  • Wang, Qin

Abstract

This paper examines the role of institutional trading during the option backdating scandal of 2006–2007. Unlike their inability to anticipate other corporate events, institutional investors as a group display negative abnormal trading imbalances (i.e., buy minus sell volumes) in anticipation of firm-specific backdating exposures. Consistent with informed trading, the underlying trades earn positive abnormal short- and long-term profits. Moreover, the negative abnormal imbalances are larger in magnitude when backdating is likely a more severe issue. Local institutions, in particular, display negative trading imbalances earlier in event-time and earn consistently higher trading profits than non-local institutions. Although we find some evidence of over-reaction following the arrival of information about the backdating scandal, these patterns are short-lived and exclusively due to the activity of non-local institutions. Overall, institutional investors behave as informed investors, particularly in local stocks, during this prolonged period of heightened uncertainty about corporate reporting and governance practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Bernile, Gennaro & Sulaeman, Johan & Wang, Qin, 2015. "Institutional trading during a wave of corporate scandals: “Perfect Payday”?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 191-209.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:34:y:2015:i:c:p:191-209
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2015.07.004
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    13. Aitken, Michael & Cumming, Douglas & Zhan, Feng, 2015. "Exchange trading rules, surveillance and suspected insider trading," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 311-330.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Institutional investors; Trading; Scandal; Option backdating; Local investors;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G39 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Other
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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