The Conditional Performance of Insider Trades

51 Pages Posted: 23 Jul 1998 Last revised: 27 Oct 2008

See all articles by B. Espen Eckbo

B. Espen Eckbo

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

David C. Smith

University of Virginia - McIntire School of Commerce

Abstract

This paper estimates the performance of insider trades on the closely held Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE) during a period of lax enforcement of insider trading regulations. Our data permits construction of a portfolio that tracks all movements of insiders in and out of the OSE firms. Using three alternative performance estimators in a time-varying expected return setting, we document zero or negative abnormal performance by insiders. The results are robust to a variety of trade characteristics. Applying the performance measures to mutual funds on the OSE, we also document some evidence that the average mutual fund outperforms the insider portfolio.

JEL Classification: G12, G14

Suggested Citation

Eckbo, B. Espen and Smith, David Carl, The Conditional Performance of Insider Trades. Journal of Finance, Vol. 53, pp. 467-498, 1998, Tuck School of Business Working Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=98727

B. Espen Eckbo (Contact Author)

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth ( email )

Hanover, NH 03755
United States
603-646-3953 (Phone)
603-646-3805 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/b-espen-eckbo

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
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Belgium

David Carl Smith

University of Virginia - McIntire School of Commerce ( email )

P.O. Box 400173
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4173
United States