In April, the SEC released a plan to establish a database that stores every trade order, execution and cancellation. Known as a “consolidated audit trail,” it is a central repository that is expected to begin getting data from stock exchanges and FINRA by late 2017.
Thomas Sporkin, a former senior SEC official with the law firm BuckleySandler, said that new database could significantly advance the SEC’s ability to track suspicious trading.
“Doing surveillance for insider trading today — it’s like we’re in the early days of the automobile,” he said. “What the consolidated audit trail will provide is the future. It’s the flying car.”
via Newest weapon in US hunt for insider traders paying off — Dailytimes