Topic: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

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Obama vs. Romney 101: 3 ways they differ on regulation

Wall Street is a big target – blamed for the financial crisis that led to the Great Recession. Mitt Romney says efforts to rein in financiers via more regulation are an attack on “economic freedom.” President Obama says new regulations would make it “more profitable to play by the rules than to game the system.” Here are three specifics on which the two differ.
Facebook IPO: Six key dates in its debacle

Facebook's first week as a publicly traded company will go down as a terribly botched corporate launch, perhaps one of the worst in recent history for such a highly visible entity. Eight days ago, it was the tech world's most highly anticipated initial public offering in eight years. Now, the social media company faces mounting legal woes and serves as an embarrassing example of how not to run an IPO. Despite rising insider pessimism about its growth prospects, Facebook kept boosting its asking price and the number of shares it would sell. The result: billions of dollars in losses; investigations by two congressional committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an industry watchdog, and the state of Massachusetts; at least 13 class-action lawsuits; and thousands of resentful shareholders who days later still were unsure how many Facebook shares they had or at what price. Here are six key dates in Facebook's unfolding IPO disaster.
What does the JOBS Act actually do? Six questions answered.

A bipartisan bill known as the JOBS Act, for 'Jumpstart Our Business Startups,' is among the GOP's priorities in Congress. It is targeted at small-business owners, but what would the bill actually do?
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 12/06

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Insider trading: Ex-Goldman board member arrested

Insider trading charges brought against former Goldman director Rajat Gupta. Charges stem from insider trading case that netted Raj Rajaratnam 11 years in prison.
Groupon IPO: An Internet star falls to Earth

Groupon IPO was poised to raise $25 billion a few months ago. Now, the Groupon IPO is slated for less than half that. Why the change?
Opinion: A small tax on Wall Street could be a big help to US economy

A modestly higher financial transaction tax, or FTT, could discourage speculation, lead to less price volatility, and encourage long-term investment. One estimate projects such a 'sales tax' on Wall Street may raise $175 billion a year, even if it cut the total number of transactions in half.
Volcker rule gets SEC backing

Volcker rule: The proposed ban on banks trading for their own profit got support from the SEC. The Volcker rule is part of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation overhaul.
Volcker Rule proposed: Banks can't trade for own profit

Volcker Rule unveiled Tuesday, but faces fierce lobbying from banks. Public has until Jan. 13 to comment on Volcker Rule.
Fact or fiction? No one on Wall Street went to jail for financial crisis

Who went to jail for malfeasance after the 2008 financial meltdown? DCDecoder looks at who was punished, who wasn't, and why.
Steve Jobs: Businessman, innovator, visionary

Steve Jobs passed on Wednesday. Steve Jobs was more than Apple's CEO, he helped make computers a household necessity and ushered in the iPod, iPhone and other must-have gadgets. Considered one of the greatest American CEOs of his generation, Steve Jobs' career path was a long, winding road that included several major hurdles.
The campaign contribution scramble: Will Mitt Romney keep GOP lead?

Only a few days are left until third-quarter fundraising reports are due. Mitt Romney led the GOP field last quarter, but Rick Perry, Ron Paul, and others are sprinting hard for campaign contributions.
Groupon's revenue measure shrinks more than 50 percent

Groupon is trying to go public, and new revenue figures that make Groupon appear smaller won't help its case
Android smartphones get 'ecosystem supercharge' [VIDEO]

Android smartphones and their users can thank Google for splashing out $12.5 billion to buy Motorola Mobility along with all the patents they hold. The purchase will be Google's largest.
Short-selling ban in Europe won't work. Here's why.

Short-selling ban in the United States in 2008 crisis didn't stop stocks from falling more than 20 percent. Critics blast short-selling ban in Europe as 'political smoke screen.'
Mortgages: Fraud grows as economy stumbles

Mortgages are ripe area for fraud, says FBI, which notes a 12 percent increase last year in investigations of fraudulent schemes involving mortgagesLily Kuo.
Credit rating: S&P is not the first to downgrade the US

Credit rating agencies, other than S&P, have downgraded the US already. One credit rating agency even rated the US just one notch above junk.
Dow drops 1,147 points over three trading days. Is that a 'crash'?

The Dow has lost 9.13 percent of its value over three days of trading. It's bad, but investors have seen much worse in previous sell-offs. Still, 'crash' versus 'correction' is a matter of debate.
In Congress, a bid to make US firms take steps against modern-day slavery

A new bill in Congress would require large companies to reveal any efforts to ensure that child labor, forced labor, and other forms of modern-day slavery did not contribute to their products.
Opinion: US policy on Congo conflict minerals well-intentioned, but misguided

An NGO worker in Congo says of the Dodd-Frank legislation: 'The motivation behind the law is very good – to impose transparency. But the implementation has been the problem.'
Groupon's new rival – American Express – offers deals with a twist

Groupon's success causes credit-card giant to initiate daily deals program: Groupon-like offers, but you don't have to pay upfront.
British phone-hacking scandal: Could it happen in the US?

Media watchdogs want the federal government to investigate Rupert Murdoch's media holdings in the US. The deeper question is whether US newspapers might be prone to similar behavior.
Cambodia launches first stock exchange - sort of

Cambodia officially opened its first stock exchange. The problem? There aren't any stocks to trade.
Warren Buffett gives $1.5B in stock to Gates Foundation

Warren Buffett donated 19.34 million Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock. Warren Buffett plans to transfer the majority of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and this gift represents the fifth installment.
Zynga, maker of Farmville, says it will raise $1 billion for IPO

Zynga has filed for a $1 billion IPO. But is Zynga too dependent on Facebook for its growth?
Auction-rate securities: Raymond James agrees to buy them back

Auction-rate securities – representing corporate debt – were sold to investors by Raymond James as 'same as cash.' In settlement with regulators, the firm agreed to buy back $280 million worth of the auction-rate securities.
Zynga IPO suggests it's worth up to $20 billion

Zynga is expected to sell $1.5 billion to $2 billion of its stock to the public as early as this fall. Zynga created Farmville and other popular online games.
Hedge funds: More oversight. Little industry backlash.

Hedge funds will have to abide by new rules adopted Wednesday. But many funds and related groups support the changes.
Pandora goes public with a bang

Pandora stock soars 63 percent in first day of trading before falling back to close with a 9 percent gain. Pandora is the latest Internet stock to go public.