Teresa Avila, CFA is a micro cap investment analyst at a hedge fund. The fund requires Avila to hold any securities she recommends for the fund in her own account as well. Because Avila has such a small account, whenever she trades for her own portfolio she combines the transactions with those of the hedge fund so she is sure to have her account aligned with the fund. Has Avila most likely violated any CFA Institute Standards of Professional Conduct?
C is correct as Standard VI (B) requires that investment transactions for clients and employers have priority over transactions in which members have beneficial ownership. By executing her own accounts transactions with those of the hedge fund the analyst has violated this Standard. Micro cap securities can be thinly traded and easily influenced by changes in the volume of activity so that the analyst may benefit when she combines her transactions with the hedge funds and she should let the fund execute its orders before she makes changes to her account.