What is personal trading and personal trading policy?

Individuals trading securities for their account or an account in which they hold a “beneficial interest” or any account “controlled” by them is known as Personal Account Trading (PAT). The risks and rewards of PAT are for the individual’s own benefit or for the benefit of their connected persons. FCA requires firms to have regulations to govern PAT by relevant persons (such as employees and tied agents).

It is vital to have a policy for personal account dealing to protect confidential information and the market’s stability. This policy ensures that individuals do not partake in insider trading, reveal confidential information, or manipulate the market in any way.

If you are a company owner, chief compliance officer, or member of the policy compliance team, here are the rules that help to prevent conflicts of interest. 

Common employee personal trading restrictions

Employee trades can only be restricted with fully ceasing to exist. It only aids in the prevention of damaging trading behaviors. Examples of limitations you should include in your employee trading policy are shown below.

You can establish your guidelines for what constitutes an authorized trade and keep an eye on activities for personal trading compliance by asking staff to run their trades through a pre-clearance process. 

You can forbid your staff from engaging in particular activities. They will use the platform to request pre-approval for any deals that don’t adhere to your established standards when they need clearance to conduct a trade. 

All employees must adhere to this policy to prevent them from making non-compliant judgments. Additionally, you have an audit trail to demonstrate that you have taken reasonable measures to remain compliant. 

Preventing insider trading

The MAR forbids the unauthorized disclosure of inside information, which is defined as precise information that “a reasonable investor would likely use as part of the basis of their investment decisions” and “which, if made public, would be likely to have a significant effect on the prices of financial instruments.” 

Additionally, it stops individuals who have access to the information from utilizing it to support a trade due to the fact that they would have an unfair advantage over the market. As a result, they can confidently purchase a stock expected to appreciate in value once the information is made public. They could also refuse to place an order for a good whose price would drop once word gets out. 

Closed Periods

Many businesses use closed periods or blackout periods, which forbid officers, directors, individuals discharging management responsibilities (PDMR), and their close friends from dealing in the company’s securities to prevent compliance difficulties. 

It typically occurs in the lead-up to earnings reports, with the premise that senior officials will be privy to information about the expected outcomes and may be accused of using that information for their own benefit. Allowing them to execute such trades is still viewed as unfair to other market participants and could result in fines against the person or business, even if the information they know is not “of a precise nature” and is not technically inside information. 

No financial transactions with a sanctioned government, entity, security, or individual

Your employees can encounter opportunities to conduct trades in an array of products because trading is now possible on a worldwide scale. However, it should be prohibited from dealing with any issuer, product, or anyone who has been sanctioned by national governments following the ethical attitude that your organization should support and promote. 

Even while it would still be possible to do these trades on the market, doing so is immoral and frequently prohibited. These kinds of personal transactions ought to be included in the list of trade limitations due to the reputational harm that comes from being connected to such activity. 

Holding Periods

You might impose a minimal waiting interval on any investments that your workers make as a safeguard. This is done to prevent employees from trading actively, buying and selling stocks quickly, and then swiftly selling them for profits by using confidential data.  

Employees are prohibited from trading the securities anymore till, say, a 30-day holding period has passed. This promotes longer-term investments and discourages selling products rapidly in a way that would signal a behavior risk that might be detrimental to the organization. 

Potential conflicts of interest 

Under MAR, employees must report any conflicts of interest with clients that could arise from owning securities that may lead to them prioritizing their own financial gain over the client’s best interests. Therefore, it’s vital to be mindful of any trades that could create a conflict of interest for employees, such as investing in a competitor, as this could result in the employee being less invested in helping the client succeed.

Having these policies can help protect both the company and the employee. It can ensure that the employee is not putting themselves in a situation where they are unable to react in the best interest of the company or their client. It also decreases the risk of any potential financial losses or legal issues that could arise from a conflict of interest. Having clear policies and oversight in place can help create a secure and safe environment for everyone involved.