Canadian and American securities market regulators have differing approaches to enforcement. In this article, we present the results of an empirical study comparing a highly salient aspect of securities enforcement—insider trading—in Canada and the United States. We reach a number of...

How does Supreme Court precedent affect lower court decisions when there is asymmetric probability of appellate review? Using securities fraud class actions filed between 2003 and 2007, we study the impact of a widely-followed Supreme Court decision from that period, Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor...

Using a sample of securities fraud class actions filed between 2003 and 2007, we study the impact of a widely-followed Supreme Court decision from that period, Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd. This decision clarified the law with respect to one of the most contested issues in...

We examine the number of external appointments held by corporate directors. Directors who serve larger firms and sit on larger boards are more likely to attract additional directorships. Consistent with Fama and Jensen (1983), we find that firm performance has a positive effect on the number of...

Exchanges have a powerful incentive to regulate insider trading and market manipulation because of the effect that those practices have on liquidity. Markets known for insider trading and manipulation risk a downward spiral as investors depart seeking out alternative, safer investments....

This Essay examines the stock market's reaction to the Ninth Circuit's decision in re Silicon Graphics Securities Litigation. That decision adopted the most stringent interpretation of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's quot;strong inferencequot; standard for pleading scienter in...

In this paper, we study attorneys' fees awarded in the largest securities class actions: “mega-settlements.” Consistent with prior work, we find larger fee awards but lower percentages in these cases. We also find that courts are more likely to reject or modify fee requests made in...