Corporate Reporting, Security Regulation and Trading on the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange (KSE) - Institutional Implications for Research

The regulation of equities trading in Kuwait over the period from 1983 to 2011 is documented in this paper. An eclectic approach has resulted in overlapping responsibilities for the three main regulatory and supervisory bodies. Regulation appears to be responsive to market crises. As a result, regulations have tended to change with market conditions. Kuwaiti accounting and auditing requirements are also reviewed. The institutional setting in Kuwait has a number of implications for capital market based research. Informational inefficiency precludes research that relies on the assumption that security price reflects firm value. Other features (including the profit requirement, lock up restrictions and the two auditor rule) provide opportunities for capital market research in Kuwait.