[Reelect President Dubya]

And since trading shares on the public market creates such a large pool of owners, that information has to become available to all of them equally and at the same time.

If it makes you feel any better to believe that the law makes it happen this way, go ahead an believe.

But you evidently haven't got a clue what investment bankers do, and how IPOs are promoted.

[fight_truth_decay]

Remember above I said "buy on rumor [TIP]"...IPO's were also held for the best customers..you could get one if you spent big bucks with that brokerage firm or had a friend who did. But IPO's aren't all they are cracked up to be..you can't just sell unless you want to risk being left on the sidelines next time.

[Tamzee]

If it makes you feel any better to believe that the law makes it happen this way, go ahead an believe. But you evidently haven't got a clue what investment bankers do, and how IPOs are promoted.

Err...actually I do have a clue, I worked at Merrill Lynch for several years ;-) The folks arguing so hard for Martha are the ones who don't have a clue why this activity has to be illegal for the market to work effectively. I know that IPO's aren't a fair game for the average investor, but we are talking about shares that are already in play on the public market. When that is the case, insider info not only unfairly helps the "tippee", but it defrauds the shareholders who are not "tippees". It is STEALING from them.