See this? News Alert from The Wall Street Journal Federal authorities are preparing insider-trading charges that could ensnare consultants, investment bankers, hedge-fund and mutual-fund traders and analysts across the nation. The criminal and civil probes, which authorities say could eclipse the impact on the financial industry of any previous such investigation, are examining whether multiple insider-trading rings reaped illegal profits totaling tens of millions of dollars. One focus of the criminal investigation is examining whether nonpublic information was passed along by independent analysts and consultants who work for companies that provide "expert network" services to hedge funds and mutual funds. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704170404575624831742191288.html?mod=djemalertNEWS
Every trader knows this shit happens all the time. Why do stocks act strong on weak days or vice versa? Why does relative strength persist for weeks at a time? Somebody always knows more than we do, technical analysis and tape reading attempt to quantify when someone posseses inside info. Good for the sec, maybe a few bad guys will get taken down, in the end no one will be deterred unless punishments are much worse than white collar country clubs.
The sec has zero desire to actually go after these crooks, 90% of the time that a stock breaks badly intraday, it had sold off hard before regardless of the market. How hard would it be for the SEC to actually look at who was selling/buying a stock intraday right before a major announcement no one saw coming? Look at SVNT on October 25, i narrowly avoided getting neutered on that thing as i got out 5 minutes before it got cut in half, and i was buying what i thought was unjustified weakness up until that point. If the SEC had any interest in busting insider trading they could easily start from there and they would have a lineup of criminals so long they wouldnt know what to do with it all.
Read the complaint. It says civil/criminal. Do you really think the Doj gives a hoot about the SEC? Except, of course, those there they are investigating.