The liquidity impact of insider trading on small and medium size enterprises

Authors

  • Valeriya V Posylnaya University of Minnesota Duluth
  • Brandon N Cline Mississippi State University
  • Joshua R Aaron Middle Tennessee State University

Abstract

This study compares the impact of insider trading by corporate employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the stock price liquidity of these firms with that of larger institutions. Using publicly reported data, we assess how trades placed by SME insiders affect the bid-ask spread of their companies’ stock. We document that the spread gets significantly larger following these transactions relative to trades by insiders from larger firms. Collectively, the evidence suggests that insider trading by SME executives, as well as non-executives, decreases liquidity for their firms. One important implication from our findings is that the cost of insider trading is more severe for SMEs, firms characterized by greater information asymmetry.

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Published

2019-06-27

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

The liquidity impact of insider trading on small and medium size enterprises. (2019). Journal of Small Business Strategy (archive Only), 29(2), 72-83. https://libjournals.mtsu.edu/index.php/jsbs/article/view/1388