Price Manipulation by Intermediaries

In this study, we investigate two main research questions using unique individual trade level data from the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE; renamed Borsa Istanbul in January 2013): (1) Do brokers conduct manipulative trades in the ISE? (2) Do these brokers gain returns from their manipulative behavior? We examine the trade-based pump-and-dump price manipulation scheme. Using the complete intraday trading history of stocks listed on the ISE over the 2003-6 period, we find that a significant percent of the trades conducted by brokers can be identified as consistent with the pump-and-dump price manipulation scheme, and brokers that conduct more pump-and-dump trades earn marginally higher profits.