Informed trading on debt covenant violations: the long and short of it

Abstract

We examine whether disclosure of complex information events reduces information asymmetry by investigating the long- and short-term impact of firms' disclosure of debt covenant violations on the probability of informed trading. We argue debt covenant violation disclosures provide informed agents with a long window of opportunity to trade on their private information largely due to the uncertainty arising from the debt renegotiation process. We find the probability of informed trading is greater after the disclosure, particularly when the violation outcomes are unresolved or where there is concern about possible future violations.