Ethics Flashcards
What must Members and Candidates do if they encounter a violation of laws, rules, or regulations?
1A. Members and Candidates must disassociate themselves from any such violation.
What must Members and Candidates comply with regarding ethics and standards?
1A. Members and Candidates must comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations (including the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct).
What should Members and Candidates do in the event of a conflict between different laws, rules, or regulations?
1A. Members and Candidates must comply with the stricter law, rule, or regulation.
Are Members and Candidates allowed to participate in violations of laws, rules, or regulations?
1A. No, Members and Candidates must not knowingly participate or assist in any violation of laws, rules, or regulations.
Which code must Members and Candidates follow in addition to governmental and regulatory rules?
The CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.
Violation or not: Doing something allowed by local laws overseas but not CFA institute standards.
Violation of 1A.
Violation or not: Knowingly participating or assisting in unethical activity done by others.
1A. Violation
Violation or not: Not reporting a legal violation to govt. or regulatory official
Not a violation: It is appropriate but not always required.
What must Members and Candidates use to achieve and maintain independence and objectivity in their professional activities?
1B. Members and Candidates must use reasonable care and judgment.
Are Members and Candidates allowed to offer, solicit, or accept gifts or benefits?
1B. No, Members and Candidates must not offer, solicit, or accept any gift, benefit, compensation, or consideration that could reasonably be expected to compromise independence and objectivity.
What could compromise the independence and objectivity of Members and Candidates?
1B. Offering, soliciting, or accepting any gift, benefit, compensation, or consideration.
Violation or not: Yielding to pressure from another department
1B. Violation
Violation or not: Accepting expensive gifts and using them for own business marketing
1B. Violation
Violation or not: Employee allocating shares to own account even if IPO is oversubscribed
1B. Violation
3B. Violation
Violation or not: Following instructions without using one’s own judgement
1B. Violation
Violation or not: Accepting fee for an issuer pay research report based on conclusion of report
1B. Violation
Accepting fee - not violation, but accepting fee based on conclusions is.
Violation or not: Gifts from third parties to use their services over others
1B. Violation
Violation or not: Accepting a small token
1B. Not a Violation
Violation or not: Accepting gifts from clients for good performance after disclosure to employer
Not a Violation
(Require written permission if accepting potential gift for FUTURE performance)
Violation or not: Private Jet use for a remote location not accessible otherwise for work purposes
Not a Violation
Violation or not: Gifts from Subject Companies
1B. Violation
Misrepresentation
1C. Must not knowingly misrepresent investment analysis, recommendations, actions, or other professional activities
Violation or Not: No specific reference to source of Information
1C. Violation
Violation or not: Citing assurance of consistency in future performance/guaranteed returns
1C. Violation, 5B Violation
Violation or not: Claiming third party research as own
1C. Violation
Violation or not: Taking credit for someone else’s work
1C. Violation
Violation or not: Unintentional error while preparing material
Not a violation
Violation or not: Informing clients of guarantee built into product (Ex: T-Bills return)
Not a violation
Violation or not: Using information from recognized financial data and reporting without citing sources (ex: Treasury Website)
Not a violation
Misconduct
1D. must not engage in dishonesty, fraud, deceit or commit any act that compromised professional reputation, integrity or competence.
Violation or Not: Drunk while making financial decisions
1D Violation
Violation or not: Including receipt that is not part of company trip expense
1D Violation
Violation or Not: Reporting to CFA institute for professionally unrelated disputes
1D Violation
Violation or not: Altering facts of a situation
1D Violation
Violation or not: Stating vague statements to mislead investors
1D Violation
Violation or not: Violation of law not reflecting on members honesty, integrity or competence (Eg: Protest)
Not a violation
Violation or not: Personal Bankruptcy without any intention to fraud
Not a violation
Mosaic Theory
2A Public Material + Non Public Non Material information can be used together and it will not be a violation
Can trade, recommend or disclose
Material Non-Public Information
2A Not allowed to Use - if used = insider trading
Material = can affect value of investment
Violation or not: Failure to prevent transfer of material non public info to others
2A Violation
Violation or not: Using material non-public information & using public information to cover up for it.
2A Violation
Violation or not: Using unreliable material non public information
Not a violation
Market Manipulation
2B - must not engage in practices that distort market prices or artificially inflate trading volume with the intent to mislead market participants
Violation or not: Spreading false rumours to induce trading
2B Violation
Violation or not: Posting false information on social media to increase/ decrease price Simultaneous buying & selling of its subsidiaries, citing volume as evidence of market liquidity.
2B Violation
Violation or not: Giving buy recommendation: and then selling client shares when prices have gone up due to the recommendation.
2B Violation
Violation or not: Giving a company a smaller number of shares than what it has subscribed, only to get that company’s goodwill attached.
2B Violation
Violation or not: Hedging any potential loss from a decline in price of a stock prior to completion of the sale transaction.
Not a Violation
Violation or not: Transactions meant for minimizing tax liabilities.
Not a violation
Violation or not: Exploiting Arbitrage opportunities between stock and options.
Not a violation
Loyalty Prudence & Care
3A - duty of loyalty to their clients and must act with reasonable care and exercise prudent judgment.
- must act for the benefit of their clients and place their clients’ interests before their employer’s or their own interests
Violation or not: Investment made against mandate even if it provided high returns.
3A Violation
Violation or not: Trading with selective brokers to get recommendations from them for getting more clients.
3A Violation
Violation or not: Using client brokerage for services that does not benefit the client.
3A Violation
Violation or not: Doing more than required trade in client A/C to accomplish client’s goal & generate commission income.
3A Violation - churning of stock
Violation or not: Disadvantaging Client because he is related to you
3B Violation
Fair Dealing
3B - Treat all clients fairly and objectively
Violation or not: Giving opinion on something to selected clients only.
3B Violation