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...