Insider data for just $200 a month? Chicago PMI on sale

When the market sold off sharply ahead of Wednesday's lousy reading of regional economic activity, rumors circulated on the Street that the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index data had been leaked.

Indeed it was.

But not in any nefarious way. It just so happens that some folks have access to the data before it's released to the markets and the world, Bespoke Investment Group points out.

And it's perfectly legal.