Standard III — Duties to Clients Module 3 · 15-20% Weight Lesson 017

📖 Standard III(A) — 忠诚、审慎与尽职(Loyalty, Prudence, and Care)

Standard III(A) — Loyalty, Prudence, and Care

模块: 道德与职业准则 · Standard II — 资本市场诚信
日期: 2026-05-26(周二)
语言: 中文


一、Standard II(A) 核心条文

Standard II(A): Material Nonpublic Information(重大非公开信息)

拥有重大非公开信息的会员或考生,不得基于该信息行动,或促使他人基于该信息行动。

关键词拆解: - Material(重大) — 会影响股价、或合理投资者认为重要的信息 - Nonpublic(非公开) — 尚未向市场广泛传播的信息 - Act(行动) — 包括买入/卖出、建议他人交易、在发布研究报告时使用


二、"重大性"(Materiality)的定义

2.1 什么是"重大"?

信息是"重大"的,如果满足以下任一条件:

标准 说明
市场影响标准 信息一旦披露,将影响资产价格
合理投资者标准 一个合理投资者在做出投资决策时认为重要

2.2 重大信息的典型例子

  • 盈利预测的重大变动
  • 并购、重组、分拆
  • 重大诉讼或监管行动
  • 管理层重大变动
  • 新产品/技术突破
  • 重大合同得失
  • 股利政策变动
  • 信用评级调整
  • 大股东增减持

2.3 非重大信息

  • 日常经营信息(不构成显著影响)
  • 公开已知的宏观数据
  • 行业趋势信息(已公开)

关键判断原则

⚠️ CFA 考试中常见判断标准:如果信息能让你赚到钱(或避免亏损),它大概率是重大的。


三、"非公开性"(Nonpublic)的定义

3.1 什么时候信息是"公开"的?

信息在以下情况下被认为是公开的: - 已通过广泛传播渠道披露(如 SEC filing、新闻发布) - 市场已有足够时间消化信息(通常 24-48 小时) - 已纳入市场价格

3.2 什么时候信息是"非公开"的?

信息在以下情况下仍然是非公开的: - 只在公司内部人员之间流传 - 只向部分分析师选择性披露 - 传闻、谣言尚未正式确认 - 刚在闭门会议上发布,尚未对外公告

3.3 "选择性披露"问题

选择性披露(Selective Disclosure)是指公司向特定人(如分析师、大股东)先行披露 MNPI,这是违规的。美国 Regulation FD(公平披露规则) 要求:如果公司向特定人披露 MNPI,必须同时向公众披露。


四、Mosaic Theory(拼图理论)

4.1 核心概念

Mosaic Theory 是合法的研究方法:

将非重大的、非公开信息与公开信息相结合,推导出投资结论。

4.2 合法 vs 违规的边界

行为 判据
✅ 收集公开财务报表 + 行业数据 + 新闻 → 得出估值结论 合法
✅ 与供应商、客户、前员工交谈(非 MNPI 来源)→ 拼凑行业图景 合法
❌ 从内部人获得重大非公开信息 → 再与公开信息拼合 违规
❌ 获得确切的盈利数据或并购意向 → 直接交易 违规

关键区分: 信息源是否泄露了 MNPI?拼图用的每一"片"是否本身都不是重大非公开的?

4.3 考试常见陷阱

分析师说:"我用了 Mosaic Theory,所以我的交易是合法的。"
🔍 但要检查: 他的信息来源中是否有一片信息本身就是 MNPI?如果是,Mosaic Theory 不能为你辩护。


五、防火墙与信息隔离

5.1 Firewall(防火墙)

在大型金融机构中,通过政策和程序将投行/做市/研究部门的信息隔离开,防止 MNPI 在不同部门间流动。

  • 物理隔离:不同楼层/区域
  • 系统隔离:限制数据库访问权限
  • 合规监控:通信审查

5.2 防火墙的局限性

  • 防火墙本身不提供"安全港"——若出现违规,仍需追责
  • 公司需要有 合理的程序 来防止信息泄露
  • 个人仍需遵守 Standard II(A)

六、实际应用场景

场景 1:分析师参加闭门会议

分析师受邀参加公司管理层闭门会议,管理层透露下季度盈利将大幅超过预期。

分析: - 盈利超预期 → 重大信息 ✅ - 闭门会议未对外披露 → 非公开信息 ✅
- 结论:这是 MNPI,不得基于此交易或修改研究报告 ❌

场景 2:偶然听到的对话

在地铁上听到两个陌生人讨论 A 公司即将被收购的细节。

分析: - 并购 → 重大信息 ✅ - 但你无法确认信息来源可靠性,也不能确认是否已公开 - 如果尚未公开披露 → 应避免基于此信息交易 - 更重要的是:你无法验证传闻的真实性,贸然交易有风险

场景 3:Mosaic 研究法

分析师发现某原材料供应商出货量激增 + 公开新闻显示新生产线投产 → 推断下游公司 B 业绩将超预期。

分析: - 原材料出货量:从公开渠道获取(供应商披露) ✅ - 新生产线新闻:已公开发布 ✅ - 两条信息都不是 MNPI,拼图推理合法 ✅


七、违反 Standard II(A) 的后果

  • CFA Institute 纪律处分:警告、暂停、撤销资格
  • 法律后果:内幕交易在美国、欧盟、中国、香港等多地均为刑事犯罪
  • 职业后果:行业禁入、声誉毁灭
  • 民事责任:投资者可能提起诉讼

八、知识小结

概念 核心要点
重大信息 会影响股价或合理投资者认为重要的信息
非公开信息 尚未广泛传播、市场未消化的信息
MNPI 持有者义务 不得交易、不得促使他人交易
Mosaic Theory 用非重大的非公开信息 + 公开信息拼图 = 合法
防火墙 机构层面的信息隔离机制,但不提供绝对安全港
选择性披露 公司向特定人披露 MNPI 必须同时向公众披露

九、练习题(5 题)

题目 1

以下哪项最可能是"重大"信息?

A. 公司宣布更换办公室地址
B. 公司宣布季度盈利较预期高 30%
C. 公司宣布新聘一位初级分析师
D. 行业报告显示宏观经济持续增长

答案 **B** — 盈利超预期 30% 是典型重大信息,会显著影响股价。A、C 为日常经营信息,D 为公开宏观信息。

题目 2

关于 Mosaic Theory,以下哪个说法是正确的?

A. Mosaic Theory 允许分析师使用任何来源的信息构建投资建议
B. Mosaic Theory 允许用公开信息和非重大的非公开信息拼图得出结论
C. Mosaic Theory 可以用来为内幕交易辩护
D. Mosaic Theory 只适用于买方分析师,不适用于卖方分析师

答案 **B** — Mosaic Theory 的核心是:用于拼图的每一片信息本身都不是 MNPI。用公开信息 + 非重大非公开信息推导结论是合法的。

题目 3

某公司 CFO 在其私人晚宴上向几位好友透露了公司即将被收购的消息。次日,其中一位好友买入该公司股票。这位好友的行为:

A. 合法,因为信息来源于社交场合
B. 违反了 Standard II(A),因为该信息是 MNPI
C. 不违规,因为 CFO 是自愿披露的
D. 不违规,如果好友本人不是投资从业人员

答案 **B** — 并购消息是重大非公开信息。无论信息来源是什么场合,无论披露方是否自愿,接收方只要知道信息是 MNPI,就不能基于此交易。

题目 4

一家大型投行拥有独立的投行部门和资产管理部,两部门之间有防火墙。投行部门得知某客户将被收购的消息,防火墙阻止了信息流向资管部。但资管部分析师通过公开渠道研究独立得出了相同的收购推论,并买入该股票。资管部分析师的行为:

A. 违规,因为投行部门掌握了 MNPI
B. 不违规,因为分析师独立研究得出,未使用 MNPI
C. 违规,因为有防火墙的存在说明公司存在利益冲突
D. 不违规,但需要向监管机构报告

答案 **B** — 分析师通过公开信息独立研究得出结论,没有接触到投行部门的 MNPI。防火墙做到了有效隔离,分析师的交易是合法的。

题目 5

以下哪项关于"选择性披露"的说法是正确的?

A. 选择性披露在美国是合法的
B. 公司向重要分析师优先披露信息是行业惯例,不违反规定
C. 如果公司向特定人披露 MNPI,必须同时向公众披露
D. 选择性披露只适用于上市公司,不适用于私人公司

答案 **C** — 根据 Regulation FD(公平披露规则),如果公司向特定人(如分析师、大股东)披露 MNPI,必须同时或尽快向公众披露。选择性披露是违规行为。

📌 下一课预告:L018 — II(A) 应用场景:内幕信息、Mosaic Theory 深入


本课程由 Sindy 姐整理,仅供 CFA 备考学习使用。

下一课

L018 — Standard III(A) — 综合练习与案例

Module: Ethics & Professional Standards
Section: Standard II — Integrity of Capital Markets
Progress: 17/560 lessons
Date: May 26, 2026


📘 Review (L016 — Standard I Review)

  • Standard I: Professionalism — the foundation of all CFA Standards
  • I(A) Knowledge of the Law: Know and comply with applicable laws and regulations
  • I(B) Independence & Objectivity: Maintain independence, avoid conflicts of interest
  • I(C) Misrepresentation: No false or misleading statements
  • I(D) Misconduct: No fraud, deceit, or acts reflecting adversely on professional reputation

🎯 New Concepts

What is Material Nonpublic Information (MNPI)?

Standard II(A) states that CFA members and candidates who possess material nonpublic information that could affect the value of an investment must not act or cause others to act on that information.

Breaking It Down:

Component Definition
Material Information is material if disclosure would affect the price of a security, or if a reasonable investor would consider it important in making an investment decision
Nonpublic Information that has not been disseminated to the general marketplace. Once widely distributed, it becomes public
Information Facts, data, or analyses that are specific and concrete — not mere rumors or speculation

Key Principle: The "Fair Playing Field"

All market participants should have equal access to material information. Trading on MNPI violates this principle and constitutes insider trading — which is illegal in most jurisdictions.

The Mosaic Theory Exception

Analysts may combine: - Public information - Non-material nonpublic information

...to reach investment conclusions. This is called mosaic theory and is permitted under Standard II(A), provided: - The individual pieces are non-material on their own - The analysis does not cross the line into materiality

When Does Information Become "Public"?

Information is considered public when it has been: 1. Disseminated through a widely accessible channel (e.g., press release, regulatory filing, earnings call) 2. Given sufficient time for the market to absorb it

Example: A company releases earnings after market close → trading on this is still prohibited before the next day's open, as the market hasn't fully absorbed it.

Selective Disclosure (Preview)

When a company discloses material information to a select group (e.g., analysts on a call), this is selective disclosure — the topic of Lesson L019. Standard II(A) requires that the recipient must not trade until the information is made public.


📊 Examples

Example 1 — Classic MNPI

A CFA charterholder sits on the board of ABC Corp. During a board meeting, she learns that ABC will report earnings 40% below expectations next week. She immediately sells her personal ABC shares.

Violation? ✅ YES. The earnings surprise is both material (would affect stock price) and nonpublic (not yet released to the market). She traded on MNPI.

Example 2 — Mosaic Theory

An analyst reads public financial statements, industry reports, and interviews a company's former employee (who provides only general industry observations, not confidential data). The analyst concludes the company will miss earnings and recommends selling.

Violation? ❌ NO. The analyst built a mosaic from public + non-material nonpublic pieces. This is legitimate research.

Example 3 — The Line Between

Same analyst interviews a current employee who says "our quarterly numbers are terrible — we're going to miss by 30%."

Violation? ✅ YES — This crosses the line. The current employee disclosed material, specific, nonpublic information. The analyst now possesses MNPI and must not trade.


✏️ Practice Quiz

Q1. Which of the following is the BEST definition of "material" information?

A) Information that the company's CEO considers important
B) Information likely to affect the price of a security or that a reasonable investor would consider important
C) Any information not yet disclosed in a regulatory filing


Q2. A CFA member learns that a supplier to a public company has seen a 50% drop in orders from that company. The member analyzes this along with public data and issues a sell recommendation. Under Standard II(A), this is:

A) A violation — the supplier information is MNPI
B) Not a violation — this is permissible under the mosaic theory
C) A violation only if the member profits personally from the trade


Q3. When does material nonpublic information become "public"?

A) Immediately upon the company's press release being published
B) After dissemination through widely accessible channels with sufficient time for market absorption
C) Once it has been reported by at least one major financial news outlet


Q4. A portfolio manager receives a tip from a friend who works at XYZ Corp that XYZ will be acquired at a 30% premium. The manager immediately places buy orders for XYZ. This is:

A) Acceptable if the manager conducted additional independent research
B) Acceptable because the manager did not solicit the information
C) A violation of Standard II(A) — trading on MNPI


Q5. Which statement about the mosaic theory is most accurate?

A) It allows analysts to use any information, including confidential data, as long as it's combined with public analysis
B) It permits combining public and non-material nonpublic information to reach investment conclusions
C) It is only applicable to sell-side research analysts, not buy-side portfolio managers


📌 Summary

Concept Key Takeaway
MNPI Material + Nonpublic = Must Not Trade
Material Test Would a reasonable investor care? Would price move?
Nonpublic Test Has it been widely disseminated?
Mosaic Theory Public + non-material nonpublic pieces = permissible
Red Line Specific, material, nonpublic → stop, do not trade
Selective Disclosure Even if given to you, you can't trade until public

Next Lesson (L018): Standard II(A) Application — Insider Information, Mosaic Theory in depth.
Reminder: Standard II(A) is one of the most heavily tested Standards — know the boundary between mosaic theory (allowed) and MNPI (prohibited) cold.