Matt Levine’s Money Stuff: Not Everywhere Is Insider Trading

Feb. 12, 2025, 7:17 PM UTC

Insider betting

Here’s an insider trading hypothetical for you. I have a golf buddy who is a senior executive at a public company. One day on the course, she tells me: “My firm is going to announce a takeover of Anacott Steel at $15 per share; you should buy some.” I go back to my office, open up my brokerage app, and am about to buy 10,000 short-dated out-of-the-money call options when I think: “Wait, no, this is insider trading, I will get in trouble for this.” I close the app.

Instead, I pick up my phone and call you. “Hey,” ...

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