Friday, September 30, 2022

Serious Doubts About the SEC's Short Sale Proposals

Disclosures Could be a Real Challenge for Managers and Brokers

Author: David Schwartz J.D. CPA

In February of 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed new disclosures to provide more transparency into institutional investors' short-selling activity. According to Chairman Gensler, collecting more granular data from large short sellers "would help us to better oversee the markets and understand the role short selling may play in market events." Despite these lofty goals, industry commenters are raising serious questions about whether some elements of the proposed new disclosure regime are structurally and technologically feasible.

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Thursday, March 3, 2022

Disclosure and Beyond: Restructuring the U.S. Equity Markets

BRIEFING GUIDE to the SEC's Aggressive Agenda to Head off the Next "Big Squeeze"

Author: David Schwartz J.D. CPA

On Friday, February 25, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed its latest round of GameStop rule proposals. In addition to enhanced public disclosures of short sales by institutional investors, the Commission announced a 30-day extension of the comment period on its sweeping securities lending disclosure proposal, Rule 10c-1, and technical amendments to the "consolidated audit tape" regulations. These separate, but related, disclosure proposals may well be the start of a much broader and far-ranging regulatory response to the kind of market disruptions epitomized by the Gamestop event.  

 

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Tuesday, February 15, 2022

T+1: The Future is Now (or at least as early as 2024)

The SEC Boldly Sets Course for T+1 and T+0

Author: David Schwartz J.D. CPA

While real-time settlement is still something that may happen far in the future, perhaps on the Starship Enterprise, T+1 is now imminent. On February 9, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed to make T+1 a reality. The proposal aimed at reducing risks in clearance and settlement seeks comment on shortening the current T+2 standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer transactions by one day to T+1. Notably, the proposal also makes clear that T+0 is the ultimate and eventual goal and explicitly solicits comments on associated challenges and potential paths to achieving a same-day settlement cycle.

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Wednesday, October 13, 2021

SEC Expands Investment Company Proxy Disclosures

New Light on Funds' Securities Lending versus Proxy Voting

Author: David Schwartz J.D. CPA

On September 29, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a proposal to expand investment company disclosures of their proxy voting activities. If adopted, the rules would enhance the information mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and other regulated investment companies are required to report on Form N-PX under the Investment Company Act. These expanded disclosures are intended to make proxy voting decisions made by investment company advisers more complete, accessible, and understandable to investors. 

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Friday, October 30, 2020

Regulators Want ESG Funds to Justify their Strategies

Author: David Schwartz J.D. CPA

Today the Department of Labor (DOL) issued final rules clarifying the regulatory guideposts for fiduciaries of private-sector retirement and other employee benefit plans in light of recent trends involving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing. The DOL is not the only regulator with ESG funds in their cross-hairs. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has begun verifying asset managers’ and mutual funds’ ESG strategies through examination and is considering amending the mutual fund “name test rule” to ensure funds are living up to their ESG promises to shareholders.

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