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The Blaszczak Bombshell: A Return to the “Parity of Information” Theory of Insider Trading?

By John C. Coffee, Jr. February 26, 2020 by renholding

The law of insider trading generally moves with the speed of molasses in February. For every two steps forward, there is one (or more) steps backward. But this winter has seen a rapid succession of developments. First, the Himes Bill …

Gibson Dunn Updates 2019 Year-End Securities Litigation

By Robert F. Serio, Brian M. Lutz, Monica K. Loseman, Jefferson E. Bell and Mark H. Mixon, Jr. February 26, 2020 by renholding

The number of securities cases filed in federal court continued at a furious pace for the third year in a row. This year-end update highlights what you most need to know in securities litigation trends and developments for the last …

How Congress Got It Right on Audit Oversight

By James R. Doty February 24, 2020 by renholding

President Donald Trump’s proposed $4.8 trillion budget calls for folding the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), America’s audit watchdog, into the Securities and Exchange Commission, the nation’s primary financial regulator. The stated goal is to eliminate duplicative regulations and …

Cleary Gottlieb Discusses Upcoming LIBOR Transition

By Jim Ho, Ferdisha Snagg and Jonathan Griggs February 24, 2020 by Avesh Krishna

On 16 January 2020, the Bank of England (the “BoE”), the UK Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) and the Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates (“RFRWG”) published a set of documents outlining priorities and milestones for 2020 on LIBOR …

Financial Regulators Warn Over Chinese Audit Quality Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

By Jay Clayton, Bill Hinman, Sagar Teotia and William D. Duhnke III February 20, 2020 by renholding

In November 2019, we met with senior representatives of the four largest U.S. audit firms, including certain of their network representatives, to discuss audit quality across their global networks and certain of the challenges faced in auditing public companies with

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Why the SEC Proposal to Regulate Proxy Advisors Is Flawed

By Ken Bertsch February 19, 2020 by renholding

[Editor’s Note: This and the piece that immediately follows offer a point/counterpoint on the SEC’s proxy advisor proposal.] The Council of Institutional Investors opposes the SEC’s proposal to create a new regulatory structure for proxy advisory firms.[1]…

Why the SEC’s Proposed Rules on Proxy Advisors Are Necessary

By Bernard S. Sharfman February 19, 2020 by renholding

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) recently proposed Amendments to Exemptions from the Proxy Rules for Proxy Voting Advice are an efficient and necessary response to the “collective action” problem that is imbedded in the shareholder voting of public companies …

Petition for Rulemaking on Short and Distort

By John C. Coffee, Jr. and Joshua Mitts February 18, 2020 by renholding

Short selling serves a critical function in the capital markets by encouraging price discovery and preventing the formation of asset bubbles. But recent years have seen a rise in “negative activism,” a novel phenomenon that has flourished in the era …

Cleary Gottlieb Discusses SEC Stance on Climate Change Disclosures

By Sandra Flow, Nicolas Grabar, Jeffrey D. Karpf and Rosa Parmose February 12, 2020 by Avesh Krishna

On January 30, the Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Clayton and Commissioners Lee and Peirce each issued statements on climate-related disclosures in SEC filings. The statements evidence some debate within the SEC on this topic, which has attracted considerable recent …

SEC Commissioner Peirce Offers Proposal to Fill Gap Between Regulation and Decentralization

By Hester M. Peirce February 11, 2020 by renholding

I appreciate the opportunity to be with all of you today. Before beginning, I have to remind you that the views I express are my own and do not necessarily represent those of the Securities and Exchange Commission or my

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Recent Trends in SEC Penalties Against Public Companies

By David Rosenfeld February 10, 2020 by renholding

Over the past 20 years, civil penalties have become an increasingly important part of the SEC’s enforcement program. The agency frequently imposes large monetary penalties, highlights those penalties in press releases, and touts them in end-of-year statistics. Civil penalties are …

How the SEC Modernized Regulation of Exchange-Traded Funds and the Task Ahead

By Georges Ugeux February 6, 2020 by renholding

On September 26, 2019, the SEC released the much-anticipated new rule and form amendments designed to modernize the regulation of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).[1] Rule 6c-11 under the Investment Company Act permits ETFs that satisfy certain conditions to operate without …

Cadwalader Reviews Securitization Litigation and Regulation for 2019

By Jason Halper, Jonathan Watkins, Aaron Lang and Ailsa Chau February 5, 2020 by renholding

There were significant developments in 2019 as courts continued to issue important decisions in this space and significant legislation impacting the residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) market came into effect. A number of cases have called into question firmly rooted practices …

Law Professors Urge SEC to Revise Proxy Adviser Proposal

By Yoon-Ho Alex Lee, Matthew Spitzer and Eric Talley February 4, 2020 by renholding

We write as legal scholars and economists who conduct research and teach in areas of corporate law, securities law, and administrative law. In addition, one of us has previously worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) as a financial …

Insider Trading and Undisclosed SEC Probes

By Terrence Blackburne, John D. Kepler, Phillip J. Quinn and Daniel J. Taylor February 3, 2020 by renholding

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a three-part mission: to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. SEC investigations and enforcement actions play a critical role in carrying out each of these objectives. …

SEC Chair Clayton on Proposed Amendments to Volcker Rule and Disclosure Items

By Jay Clayton January 31, 2020 by renholding

Volcker Rule

Today, the Commission joined the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC and CFTC in proposing additional amendments to the implementing regulations under section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act, commonly known as the “Volcker Rule.”[1] The proposed amendments,

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Bharara Task Force on Insider Trading Issues Its Report

By Preet Bharara, Joon H. Kim, John C. Coffee, Jr., Katherine R. Goldstein, Joseph A. Grundfest, Melinda Haag, Joan E. McKown and Jed S. Rakoff January 28, 2020 by renholding

Executive Summary

For too long, insider trading law has lacked clarity, generated confusion, and failed to keep up with the times. Without a statute specifically directed at insider trading, the law has developed through a series of fact-specific court decisions …

The Difference in the Informativeness of Positive and Negative Stock Returns

By Eli Amir, Shai Levi and Roy Zuckerman January 22, 2020 by renholding

We show that positive daily stock returns contain more information on the long-term change in stock value than do negative daily stock returns that are noisier on average and more prone to subsequent reversals. This difference in the informativeness of …

Corporate Governance for Regulation A+ Issuers

By Michael Friedman January 20, 2020 by renholding

Regulation A+, an exemption from registration that took effect in 2015 and allows small companies to issue stock to the general public, presents interesting questions of corporate governance.

The maximum offering size of $50 million means that most Reg A+ …

SEC Chair Clayton Speaks at Inaugural Meeting of Asset Management Advisory Committee

By Jay Clayton January 16, 2020 by renholding

I am delighted to welcome you in this new year to the inaugural meeting of the Commission’s newest advisory committee—the Asset Management Advisory Committee, or the “AMAC.”[1] I apologize that I am not there to speak to you in

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