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Securities and Exchange Commission

Article Index

Why the UBS Dark Pool Fine Is So Absurd

By , Chief Investment Strategist, Money Morning • @ShahGilani_TW -

UBS dark pool fine

The UBS dark pool fine announced last week is yet another example of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dropping the ball on one of the biggest schemes staring them right in the face.

The SEC came down on UBS Group AG (NYSE: UBS) for not following the rules and regulations that make markets fair and orderly - and also for not being honest to its clients.

But this "record" fine wasn't really newsworthy - in fact, it was pretty absurd...

The Washington-Wall Street "Corruption Corridor"

By , Chief Investment Strategist, Money Morning • @ShahGilani_TW -

There's a new twist in an ongoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) probe.

For months now, the SEC has been investigating whether anyone in the federal government leaked inside information to a Washington-based investment research firm.

While that was pretty juicy already, those investigators are now looking at up to 44 hedge funds that may have traded on that inside information.

If you already thought our public servants were greedy, dirty, and corrupt, well, this helps prove your case.

If, on the other hand, you think our folks in D.C. are pure, altruistic angels, today I'm going to convince you otherwise... Full Story

Investigation of D.C.-Wall Street Corruption Hits Yet Another Roadblock

By , Chief Investment Strategist, Money Morning • @ShahGilani_TW -

Wall Street

There's a new twist in an ongoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission probe into D.C.-Wall Street corruption.

For months now, the SEC has been investigating whether anyone in the federal government leaked inside information to a Washington-based investment research firm. And now up to 44 hedge funds that may have traded on that inside information are under close scrutiny.

If you thought our public servants were greedy, dirty, and corrupt before, wait until you read this...

August's Insider Trading Augurs Well for Stocks

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

The stock market as a whole just turned in its worst August performance since 2001, with the major indexes posting losses ranging from 4% to 6%. Yet despite those negative numbers, there was one group that didn't act bearish at all - corporate insiders.

Insiders - the officers, board members and major shareholders of America's corporations - are required by law to almost immediately report to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) any time they buy or sell the shares of their own companies. As such, insider transactions are tracked by a number of organizations and Wall Street analysts as a gauge of current market sentiment and future prospects for stock prices.

The theory underlying this practice is simple. As the people with the most intimate knowledge of what corporations are actually doing to grow their businesses, as well as the results those strategies are producing, insiders are in the best position to judge whether the fortunes of their companies are looking bright - or dismal. When they like what they see, they buy their company's shares - and when they don't, they sell.

Read More…

High-Yield Hangover: Cash Pouring Into Junk-Bond Funds May Signal Stormy Seas For Stocks

By , Chief Investment Strategist, Money Morning • @ShahGilani_TW -

Investors are plowing money into junk-bond funds, which leveraged borrowers at private equity funds are using to pay dividends to themselves and to buy out more public companies.

The huge-and-growing overhang of debt-laden portfolio companies that private-equity shops want to take public - when combined with additional leveraged deals in the pipeline - will keep a lid on U.S. stock prices and could even spark a sell-off for stocks in both the United States and Europe.

Let me explain...

To understand how this push into junk bonds is magnifying stock-market risk, please read on...

Are 'Pure-Play' ETFs a Shrewd Investment - Or a Risk Not Worth Taking?

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

They're called "pure-play" exchange-traded funds (ETFs). And they're the latest rage in the ETF sector.

But are they too much of a risk?

According to Dictionary.com, a mutual fund is an investment company "that gives small investors access to a well-diversified portfolio of equities, bonds and other securities," professionally managed to "match the objective stated in the (fund's) prospectus."

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Money Morning Mailbag: Readers Eager For Effective Financial Regulation

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

The Money Morning mailbag continues to overflow with reader thoughts and concerns regarding financial reform – which is finally making slow progress in Washington. After three failed attempts to bring a financial regulation bill to the floor this week, the Senate on Wednesday finally agreed to start debate.

Following is a collection of this week’s Money Morning reader comments on our articles regarding reform, inspired also by more news from the Securities and Exchange Commission case against Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) as executives faced a Senate committee hearing.

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SEC Filing Shows Buffett Played It Safe Ahead of His Burlington Northern Buyout

By , Managing Editor, Money Morning -

Having gone “all in” on a U.S. economic recovery with his $44 billion acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (NYSE: BNI), Warren Buffett showed a less aggressive stance in Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) Nov. 16 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Buffett trimmed Berkshire's holdings in riskier businesses that have uncertain futures, such as newspapers, healthcare companies, and credit ratings agencies in favor of more stable long-term picks such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM).

The 13-F filing showed that as of Sept. 30 Berkshire had increased its Wal-Mart holdings by almost 90% over the summer, adding 18 million shares worth nearly $1 billion.

Read More…