Painting the tape

Painting the tape is executing a series of transactions to create the appearance of activity or a particular price trend on the public trade record, in order to draw others in.

manipulation techniques · updated 2026-10-16

Where does painting the tape come up?

This term is used in the following manipulation techniques, each explained in full on its own page.

• Painting the tape — Painting the tape is executing a series of transactions to create a misleading appearance of activity or of a price trend on the public trade record, in order to draw other participants in.

Enforcement actions involving these techniques

See also

• Wash trade — A wash trade is a transaction in which the same beneficial owner is on both sides, so no ownership changes hands and no market ris…
• Marking the close — Marking the close is trading in the final minutes of a session specifically to influence the closing price, which is the price tha…

Terms that refer here

Tape · Wash trade

Back to the full glossary — 282 defined terms.