Regulatory Action
- Regulator: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
- Action Taken:
- PWA and four directors debarred from the securities market
- Interim order issued on Monday (April 28, 2025)
- ₹3.22 crore in alleged illegal gains ordered to be impounded
- A detailed investigation is underway
What is Spoofing in Stock Markets?
- Spoofing involves placing large fake buy/sell orders far from the market price to create false demand/supply impressions.
- The visible fake order manipulates trader behavior.
- The spoofer then places a small, real order on the opposite side near the market price and profits from the movement.
Sebi’s Findings
- Spoofing activity took place over three years across 193 stocks, with 292 spoofing attempts.
- In one notable case:
- 548 buy orders were placed in Coffee Day Enterprises.
- 543 were spoofing orders for ~5.4 crore shares at 20-26% below the market.
- Only five genuine trades were executed, totaling 52,000 shares.
- The rest were cancelled after achieving the intended market reaction.
Regulatory Stance and Implications
- Spoofing is classified as a fraudulent and unfair trade practice under Sebi regulations.
- The order underscores Sebi’s increasing scrutiny on algorithmic and order-book-based manipulation.
- Further penalties or prosecutions may follow after completion of the detailed investigation.
Allegation: Order Spoofing
- Definition: Order spoofing is a fraudulent market manipulation tactic involving placing large orders with the intent to cancel, to create false demand/supply signals and mislead other investors.
- SEBI’s Statement: “This is a manipulative, fraudulent and unfair trade practice… It distorted market prices and undermined market efficiency.”
Scope of Manipulation
- Period Investigated: January 2021 to January 2025
- Markets Involved:
- Cash Segment
- Derivatives Segment
- Number of Scrips Affected: 173
- Spoofing Instances Recorded: 621 unique cases
Next Steps
- SEBI will conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine further regulatory action or criminal liability, if any.
- The order issued is ex parte and interim, meaning more legal proceedings may follow.
SEBI’s strong action against Patel Wealth Advisors highlights its continued crackdown on market manipulation and unfair trading practices. The case adds to growing scrutiny of algorithmic and high-frequency trading tactics that can distort price discovery in Indian capital markets.
