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Executive Decisions: The Insider Buying Track Record

09/11/09 Baltimore, Maryland

If you seek the market’s next move, why not ask the CEOs of publicly traded companies? For every $1 of insider stock purchases in August, there was $31 worth of sales, says a report from market researchers TrimTabs. According to the firm, execs at U.S. public companies have been net sellers of $105 billion worth of stock over the last four months. That’s the most aggressive insider selling since the summer of 2007… heh, you know… when most papers were rejoicing “Dow 14,000!”

What’s more, insiders have been spot on so far in 2009. Check out this track record:

Insider Purchases

We admit there’s a lot more going on here than simple market timing. And of course, many CEOs are no better at managing their own money than they are at running their companies (Greenberg, Fuld, Cayne, etc.). Tracking insider buying and selling sometimes does little more than confirm predispositions.

Disclaimers be damned, the numbers don’t lie… insiders have had a stellar track record so far this year, and right now, they are crowding around the exits. Caveat emptor.

Author Image for Ian Mathias

Ian Mathias

Ian Mathias is managing editor of The 5 Min. Forecast.  We discovered Ian working as a full time rock climbing guide and writing on the side. As it turns out, markets and global economics can be extreme too… at least enough to keep him around. Since working for Agora Financial, respected media outlets including Forbes.com, the Associated Press, Yahoo, and MSN Money have syndicated his writing. He received his BA from Loyola College in Maryland and is currently studying writing at the graduate level.

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2 Responses

  1. tony bonn said

    looks like september is on pace to exceed august a bit…however, my belief is that it will show acceleration as the buy months showed…

    much depends upon how much more qe will ooze out of the bag…

    on September 11, 2009.
  2. smondlin said

    This rally in equities is way over done.
    [see insider trades from Trimtabs]

    I know we are constrained by Mitre regs. but does Fidelity
    have a Gold ETF or similiar where we can take some equitiy profits off the table and park in precious metals.
    Recall that bullion # [gold has gone from ~ $750oz to a whisker under $1000.

    on September 13, 2009.

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