Article: The SEC bans naked short selling

Article - Media
12875

The SEC bans naked short selling

Daniel Dex, Tom Hameki

McMillian LLP, 5 November 2008

September’s upheaval in the financial markets prompted international securities regulators, led by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to adopt emergency restrictions on short selling of certain financial stocks. The SEC also enacted emergency measures that effectively banned “naked” short-selling of all equity securities. In support of the SEC’s measures and to avoid regulatory arbitrage, the United Kingdom’s Financial Services Authority and some Canadian regulators also implemented emergency restrictions on short selling of certain financial stocks. In October, the U.S. and Canadian emergency measures against short sales of financial stocks were allowed to expire, but the SEC took further action to extend its restrictions against naked short sales.

Read full article.

12875