Yesterday, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined a Hong Kong hedge fund just over £870,000 for failing to disclosure its net short position in Premier Oil Plc. This is the first time the FCA has taken enforcement action for a breach of the SSR.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently proposed significant modifications to the mutual fund and exchange-traded fund disclosure framework. The proposed disclosure framework would feature concise and visually engaging shareholder reports that would highlight information that is particularly important for retail investors to assess and monitor their fund investments.
The new Japan foreign investment rules were fully implemented on 7th June after a 30-day transition period. The amendments to the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (FEFTA) require some overseas investors to submit a prior notification of stock purchases to the government via the Bank of Japan (BoJ).
Liquidity risk was amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic with regulators introducing a number of initiatives to mitigate the corresponding risk. However, it’s not the only area which has seen increased attention as a result of COVID-19. As summarised below, despite the G20 commitment to “support global trade and investment” during the pandemic, foreign investment restrictions have been on the rise.
With the recent market volatility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, regulators across the EU and in some jurisdictions further afield have been banning short selling for varying periods. Although there are many who are sceptical of the benefits of short selling bans, several EU states including France, Italy, Spain and Austria had bans in place since March with Italy’s CONSOB opting for a ban until 18th June. Germany, along with Britain which still operates under EU rules, held back in imposing market wide bans.
Following 4 years of consultations and several minor revisions, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Securities and Futures (Short Selling) Regulations 2018, is finally due to implement rules…
