National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. — 1735 K Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006 — 202-728-8000
November 15, 1997
Dear Member:
We are in the process of planning for the 1998 Annual Meeting of Members where Members will be asked to elect 22 Governors. The Members and the SEC just approved changes to the NASD By-Laws designed to improve our corporate governance structure so that
I cannot express in the strongest of terms that it is my right as an individual investor to have the freedom to analyze macro-economic conditions and make investment choices that protect/grow my capital. This includes the possible need to invest in leveraged and inverse funds if the market conditions call for it with all the individual risks that go with personal ownership of alternative
The ability to trade inverse ETFs (easier to capitalize on a downward market for novice trader) and utilize leverage helps to encourage market participation by people in all income brackets. To take away these options would be a stride towards exclusivity based on economic status and further separate already diverging income classes and political parties.
As an investor we understand risks associated with investing in leveraged and inverse funds. Please do not restrict investors(esp retail) and make investing in stock market tougher. This regulations if brought in will impact investors/traders who are already in trading and they might incur huge loss in terms of capital depreciation by scaring away exiting and new investments.
Market manipulation has been there over decades. Traditional retailers is suffering more than anytime due to the leverage of capital that’s not based on equal ruling. On top, law enforcement agency has not been obligated with the assigned duty. When will an open and fair market/system be back?
Leveraged and inverse funds are important part of risk management. These funds make it possible to use a small percentage of capital to risk manage the other side of a trade. There are plenty of SEC / FINRA regulation as well as documentation on investments to understand the risk. Should investors ignore reading the documents of any and all investments that is the investors choice.
Ive been investing for almost a decade. I understand the risk of using leveraged and inverse ETFs. I am making the choice to trade them with the understanding that I can lose a lot of capital but I should be allowed to make my own decision. Cigarettes and alcohol are far riskier than trading stocks, but theyre still bought and sold.
Please do not restrict investor access to complex and leveraged products. Yes, there ought to be disclosures of risks and transparency around fund mechanisms. In other words: informed consent. But barring access is undemocratic and wrong. Many leveraged funds are useful tools for investors who lack the requisite capital to use futures to achieve leverage.
As a former complex product supervisor for one of the largest broker-dealers in the nation and which is probably the highest producing structured product firm, I would like to make some comments on the practices employed by them and in the industry by general. First of all the process in getting an account approved for structured notes and options is largely a joke. Anyone from an 18 year old
An investment's performance is more than just the amount a stock, bond or mutual fund has appreciated since you bought it. If you want to make informed investment decisions, you should learn how to calculate your return on investment, or ROI.
