Alexander I. Platt

Beyond “Going Dark:” The SEC’s 13F Proposal and Hedge Fund Activism

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This past summer, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed eliminating quarterly disclosures for 90 percent of institutional investment managers by raising the reporting threshold under Section 13F of the Exchange Act from $100 million to $3.5 billion.  The proposal generated widespread opposition.  One key criticism — advanced on this blog, in various media outlets, and by many of those who submitted comments to the agency — was that the agency’s proposal would bolster hedge fund activism by allowing many activists to “go dark,” build up positions in companies in secret, and then “ambush” unsuspecting managers.

Although … Read more

The SEC and “Piggyback” Securities Litigation

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Leading securities regulation scholars have repeatedly called for legislatively expanding the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) control over private securities litigation.[1] These proposals grow out of profound doubts about the private securities class action regime and frustration with the decentralized multi-enforcer approach to securities enforcement. But these centralization proposals have failed to gain traction.

In a new paper, I map out a different way to harness the SEC’s power to improve the private securities litigation regime.  Rather than expand SEC authority, I argue that the SEC can and should make better use of its existing authority in this domain.… Read more