According to the semistrong form of market efficiency, the value of a security is based on:

• A. all publicly available information, including financial statements and news reports
• B. only past prices and trading volumes
• C. private, insider information not available to the public
• D. random fluctuations unrelated to any information

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of market efficiency, which relates to how information is reflected in security prices.
2. Recall that the semistrong form of market efficiency states that security prices fully reflect all publicly available information.
3. Identify what constitutes publicly available information, such as financial statements, news reports, and other data accessible to all investors.
4. Recognize that the semistrong form excludes private or insider information, which is only considered in the strong form of market efficiency.
5. Conclude that under the semistrong form, the value of a security is based on all publicly available information, including financial statements and news reports.