However, according to insider trading data, corporate insiders have been hesitant to accept the bull market for the better part of the last year.

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Likewise, corporate stock owners who must navigate tricky insider-trading rules and lock-up periods often benefit from personally tailored advice.

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And individuals who gets information from a corporate insider may be but are not always prohibited from trading on that information.

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The rule changes come amid an explosion of trading in the options market--and allegations of insider trading using options in advance of major corporate announcements.

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As the founder of Broadband Research LLC, Kinnucan was accused of insider trading by corrupting employees at public companies to divulge corporate secrets, which he in turn passed to hedge fund managers.

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's latest insider trading case includes the usual colorful elements--a corporate employee, suspiciously timed trading in the company stock, an offshore entity and assorted relatives allegedly benefiting from the fun.

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In theory, insider trading involves the buying or selling of securities based on material corporate information still unknown to the public.

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And speaking of insider trading, it sounds as if the regulators are really cracking down on sensitive corporate information, right?

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"Lawyers that I spoke with say that in order to change the corporate and industry culture, harsher penalties are needed and the government is reportedly looking into criminalising insider trading, " she added.

BBC: Nomura told to bolster controls after trading flaws