Just to be clear, neither the PureFunds ISE Cyber Security ETF (NYSEArca: HACK) nor its issue are in trouble for insider trading. Rather, what has the potential to be a wide-ranging insider trading probe could be the next catalyst for HACK, 2015’s darling ETF.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating a group of hackers that allegedly breached corporate email accounts to find confidential data, such as details on mergers, to trade on.
Bud Fox posing as a janitor this is not. This is the 21st century. Cyber criminals are, obviously, technologically sophisticated and those searching for trading tips teeter on the brink of organized crime.
“According to people familiar with the matter, the SEC’s inquiry and a parallel probe by the U.S. Secret Service – which investigates cyber crimes and financial fraud – were spurred by a December report by security company FireEye Inc about a sophisticated hacking group that it dubbed FIN4,” according to Reuters.
A troop of hackers raiding corporate email accounts in search of stock tips is a legal nightmare but a dream come true for HACK. It is likely the reason the ETF closed modestly higher Tuesday on nearly double the average daily volume, extending its year-to-date gain to 26.3%. [Headlines Help HACK]
As we have noted several times in HACK’s short lifespan (the ETF debuted in November), the fund is positively correlated to negative cyber security news.