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Our experts frequently write blog posts about the findings of the research we are conducting.

Displaying 121-128 out of 128 results for "Muni Markup Week".

FINRA Dispute Resolution Statistics 2012

(Jan 2013)

Last week, we covered NERA's analysis of SEC settlements during FY2012. This week, we're taking a look at FINRA's recent release of their dispute resolution summary statistics. FINRA arbitration is a common way for investors to pursue restitution for damage caused by fraud, negligence, or other fiduciary breaches. FINRA provides a detailed summary of the arbitration process and claims can be filed either online or by mail.

Through December of this year, FINRA reports that the number of new...

NERA Releases Annual Report on SEC Settlement Trends

(Jan 2013)

Last week, NERA released their annual report on trends in SEC settlements for the 2012 fiscal year. The report represents the annual update to NERA's analysis of their proprietary database of SEC litigation releases and administrative proceedings published since July 21, 2002. We've been covering these reports for about a year now and we were excited to see the results of this updated study.

According to the report, the number of settlements rose nearly 7% from FY11. While the number of...

Structured Product Issuers Under Pressure to Disclose Estimated Value

(Jan 2013)

According to securities law firm Morrison & Foerster's Structured Thoughts newsletter, the SEC may soon require issuers of structured products to disclose the estimated value of the product on the front page of the prospectus. From the newsletter:

Elaborating on the [SEC's] sweep letter, the Staff noted that issuers must disclose the "issuer estimated value" on the cover page of the offering document, and share this information with investors prior to the time of sale. This estimated value...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - January 18th, 2013

(Jan 2013)

SEC Charges Georgia Resident with Insider Trading
January 17, 2013, (Litigation Release No. 22596)
According to the complaint (opens to PDF), John M. Darden III traded with non-public information regarding the merger between Southwest Airlines Company and AirTran Holdings, Inc. Darden, who gained over $150,000 in profits from the illicit trading, agreed to a final judgment that provides permanent injunctive relief and orders him to pay over $325,000 in disgorgement, pre-judgment interest, and...

Barrier Options

(Jan 2013)

Earlier this week we introduced binary options, a type of exotic derivative that is embedded in some retail structured products such as dual directionals. Today we're going to go over barrier options, which are another exotic option contract that happens to be embedded in one of the most popular types of structured products: reverse convertibles.

Like vanilla options, barrier options have a payoff that compares the final asset price to the strike price of the option. In addition, the payoff...

Binary Options

(Jan 2013)

Last week, we went through the basics of traditional options including their terminology and payoff structure. Today we're going to talk about another, more complex, type of option: the binary (or 'digital') option. This type of option pays either one thing (for example a stock or cash) or nothing depending on the price of an asset relative to the strike price of the option.

Binary options are considered 'exotic' options because they are not traded on major exchanges the way traditional...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - January 11th, 2013

(Jan 2013)

Court Orders New York-Based Hedge Fund Manager and Firm to Pay Nearly $5 Million in Disgorgement and Penalties
January 9, 2013, (Litigation Release No. 22588)
Final judgments were entered against hedge fund manager Chetan Kapur and his firm ThinkStrategy Capital Management for allegedly overstating the performance of their ThinkStrategy Capital Fund, "inflat[ing] the firm's assets, exaggerat[ing] the firm's longevity and performance history, and misrepresent[ing] the size and credentials of...

SEC Litigation Releases: Week in Review - January 4th, 2013

(Jan 2013)

SEC Charges California Company and CEO with Defrauding Investors in Nevada Gold Mining Venture
January 3, 2013, (Litigation Release No. 22585)
According to the complaint (opens to PDF), Nekekim Corporation and its CEO, Kenneth Carlton, "induced hundreds of investors to pour $16 million into a fruitless gold mining venture." From 2001 to 2011, the defendants attracted investors claiming that a physicist (who in reality "had no scientific training") helped "develop a confidential gold extraction...

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