Effects of Insider Trading Regulation

Abstract

This thesis analyses the relationship between insider trading regulation (broadly interpreted) and equity costs of firms on data from the Chinese, South African and Russian capital markets covering the years from 1995 to 2011. Time series analysis showed -- as expected -- that stock markets in each of the countries react in specific ways: E.g. none of the regulatory measures proved effective in decreasing the equity costs in the case of South Africa. Analysis of the Chinses and Russian data showed, however, a possible common feature of the participants on the two markets. It seems that these markets react to mere signals of upcoming regulatory measures rather than on these measures themselves. This interpretation of the results is thus in line with the rational expectations hypothesis