How should an investment adviser handle potential market manipulation?

The appropriate handling of potential market manipulation by an investment adviser is to avoid any actions that could mislead or distort market behavior. This aligns with ethical standards in the financial industry, which emphasize transparency, fairness, and integrity in all transactions. By steering clear of any deceptive practices, the adviser upholds the trust placed in them by clients and the market at large.

Maintaining ethical conduct also helps to protect the adviser from legal repercussions and reputational damage that might stem from participating in or facilitating market manipulation. Furthermore, this approach cultivates a fair market environment where all participants can operate without the fear of manipulation, thus promoting overall market integrity and efficiency.

In contrast, engaging in strategic misinformation or ignoring potential risks would undermine the ethical responsibilities of an adviser, while consulting peers for creative strategies may lead to the development of unethical practices if the strategies are not compliant with regulatory standards. Therefore, prioritizing actions that respect market integrity is both a legal and ethical imperative for investment advisers.