General
painting the tape
What does painting the tape mean?
Market manipulation in which traders coordinate buys and sells of a security to create the illusion of genuine activity, pumping the apparent volume or nudging the price to attract real money. Illegal under securities law. The name comes from the old ticker tape, which would display the manufactured prints.
"The SEC nailed the group for painting the tape in the last ten minutes to mark up the close."
Frequently asked questions
What does painting the tape mean?
It's trading a stock among yourselves to fake trading volume or artificially move the price.
How do you use painting the tape in a sentence?
"Regulators flagged the accounts for painting the tape to inflate the volume."
Is painting the tape illegal?
Yes — it's a recognized form of market manipulation, since it creates a misleading picture of genuine trading activity.
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