We identify a group of "suspicious" firms that use stock splits--perhaps, along with other activities--to artificially inflate their share prices. Following the initiation of suspicious splits, share prices temporarily increase, and subsequently decline below their pre-split levels. Using...

Using account level data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange, we find widespread evidence consistent with insiders manipulating share prices to exploit naïve retail investors. We identify a group of “suspicious” firms that use stock splits—perhaps, along with other misleading activities—to...

Although China is now the world's second largest stock market, in many ways, it is still an emerging market. Relatively unsophisticated retail investors are the largest group of traders and there remain heavy restrictions on short selling. This combination increases the potential for unsavory...

We show that Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses preferences can explain several puzzling retail investor behaviors, including the excessive trading of small local stocks. Status concerns lead households, especially those living in affluent areas, to demand these stocks to track their neighbors' wealth....