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FINRA Concerned About Volatility-Linked Investment Products

On December 7, 2018, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) issued a comprehensive report (“Report on FINRA Examination Findings”) which “focuses on selected observations from recent examinations that FINRA considers worth highlighting because of their potential significance, frequency, and impact on investors and the markets.” Among the issues discussed in this report were significant concerns […]

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FINRA fines Berthel Fisher and affiliate $775,000 for supervisory failures

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced today that it has fined Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services, Inc. and its affiliate, Securities Management & Research, Inc., of Marion, Iowa, a combined $775,000 for supervisory deficiencies, including Berthel Fisher’s failure to supervise the sale of non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), and leveraged and inverse […]

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FINRA fines firms $9 million for leveraged ETFs

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or Finra, has ordered Citigroup Inc. (C), Morgan Stanley (MS), UBS AG (UBS) and Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) to pay a combined $9.1 million for allegedly improper sales of leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds. Wall Street’s self-regulator fined the companies a total of more than $7.3 million and also […]

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Schwab considers warning customers about complex ETF's

The move follows the sudden plunge in an exchange-traded note called VelocityShares Daily 2X VIX Short-Term ETN, or TVIX, which lost 60 percent of its value in a short span of March. The warning would be similar to one that pops up when investors trade options related to volatility, which are more complex than stocks.  […]

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