The SEC’s recent 3-2 vote to undo key provisions of a Trump-era rule governing proxy advisory firms has fanned the flames of controversy even though the stated goal was to bolster the independence and timeliness of these providers’ offerings. In fact, a major proxy-advice vendor, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), wanted the SEC to rescind the… Read More >>
SEC Advances Climate Risk Disclosure Rules
As many expected it would, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is pushing for new rules that will require public companies to report more details about the climate-related risks that could “have a material impact on their business, results of operations, or financial condition.” But not everyone is on board with this move, including a… Read More >>
LJM Disputes Fraud Charges from SEC & CFTC
The Securities & Exchange Commission has filed a civil action against two related investment advisories and two portfolio managers. The commission alleges that LJM Funds Management Ltd. and LJM Partners Ltd. “fraudulently misled investors and the board of directors of a fund they advised about LJM’s risk management practices and the level of risk in… Read More >>
Robinhood Financial Pays $65M to Settle SEC Case
Robinhood Financial LLC, a Silicon Valley brokerage company founded by two Stanford University grads, Vladimir Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, will pay $65 million to settle charges that it misled its investors by making “material misrepresentations and omissions,” according to a cease-and-desist order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Robinhood Financial “provides online and… Read More >>
BlueCrest & SEC Resolve Charges of Investor Harm
BlueCrest Capital Management has settled charges via the SEC that it failed its investors by assigning its best human traders to a proprietary hedge fund while its external investors were serviced by an allegedly mediocre algorithm. The U.S. regulator reports that the hedge fund “has agreed to pay $170 million to settle charges arising from… Read More >>
Investors Shaken by Uncertainty Look to Private Markets
Institutional investor confidence in financial markets is trending downward and investors may shift their allocations from public to private markets, according to two separate reports upon shareowner activity for 2019. The research and advisory firm Corbin Advisors, which focuses on investor relations (IR), reports that investors started the new year harboring high levels of uncertainty… Read More >>
Hedge Funds Cut Ops Costs to Keep Pace with Investors
Hedge fund managers report that they have achieved “significant operational cost reductions,” even though they are looking toward additional opportunities for efficiency, according to an EY survey of firms that also finds funds under pressure from investors armed with new demands. The EY report, “Will adapting to today’s evolving demands help you stand out tomorrow?”… Read More >>
Investors and Regulators Push PE Firms for More Transparency
Private equity firms are feeling the heat for more IT solutions and better data management as an uptick in regulatory audits and exams is causing investors to demand more transparency, according to professional services firm EY’s 2016 global private equity fund and investor survey. The greater demand for transparency is one of the key findings… Read More >>
Investors Still Like Sell-Side Salespeople
An interesting report on how investors still rely on sell-side advice and interactions even while swap trading is moving quickly to electronic platforms slipped past me, but it’s worthy of belated notice. The report (issued late last month) from Greenwich Associates, “Interest-Rate Derivatives Sales: Not What It Used To Be, But No Less Important,”… Read More >>
