On June 13, 2024, Faculty of Finance at City University of Macau organized the eighteenth Finance Salon (2023-2024) at the Taipa campus. The salon was delivered by Dr. Chen from the University of West Alabama. His research paper titled "Insider Trading Amidst Political Uncertainty". The study explored the impact of political uncertainty on stock trading by corporate insiders. Notably, during uncertain periods, insiders were more active in trading, with both trading volume and value increasing in response to political uncertainty. Additionally, the research identified evidence of informed insider trading based on abnormal returns following such transactions during politically uncertain times. Furthermore, the study found a positive correlation between political uncertainty and wider bid-ask spreads, but observed that bid-ask spreads tightened as insider trading activity increased. This aligns with the idea that insiders communicate information to the market and improve liquidity.

Dr. Chen is currently an assistant professor in Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics at the University of West Alabama. His research interests include corporate finance, insider trading and enterprise innovation.

During this academic salon, Dr, Chen shared his latest research findings with teachers and students from the Faculty of Finance, fostering friendly exchanges. The Finance Salon organized by Faculty of Finance at City University of Macau serves as a platform for exchanging academic ideas and fostering academic awareness. With finance as the main focus, we invite senior scholars/experts from academia and the financial industry to engage in research discussions on cutting-edge topics and share industry development trends, aiming to provide a fresh academic experience and thinking model for CityU students and members of the faculty. Through activities like the Finance Salon, we hope to offer graduate students a better academic platform, encouraging further exploration and research on academic issues.