Walking the Tightrope: Harmful Acts and the Construction of Crime in the Norwegian Securities Markets

The main topic of this article is the regulation and the construction of insider trading as crime. Trading on inside information is not something new, but the dramatization and the attempt to regulate these acts by penal law are of quite recent date. This article tries to examine the simple question of why there has been such activity in this field the last 20–30 years and the goals of this regulation. The article points out the need for building trust in the financial markets, even if it might be illusory, especially when these markets have been opened for the money of ‘ordinary citizens’. It also stresses the importance of creating a ‘moral map’ in order to establish clearer lines between right and wrong in the rather blurry world of financial markets.