This study examines how expanded disclosure of insider trading policies affects executive compensation. Using the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) December 2022 rule mandating public disclosure of firms’ insider trading policies, I ...
This study examines how expanded disclosure of insider trading policies affects executive compensation. Using the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) December 2022 rule mandating public disclosure of firms’ insider trading policies, I find that as firms prepare for compliance, abnormal insider-trading profits decline significantly, while total executive compensation increases, suggesting that insider-trading profits function as a form of implicit pay for executives. The increase in total compensation is concentrated among insiders who trade opportunistically, as indicated by whether their transactions follow predictable patterns; this finding aligns with prior research showing that such trades are more informative and therefore generate positive abnormal returns. The compensation adjustment is concentrated in formula-based pay, namely bonuses and equity grants, with little change in salary or option awards. Overall, the results suggest a trade-off between implicit and explicit compensation and provide policy-relevant evidence that transparency reforms can enhance market fairness while inducing changes in compensation design.