The principal trade association and lobbying arm of the securities industry. A facility owned by the New York and American stock exchanges that operates automated communication systems to support trading, surveillance and market data for these exchanges. A nonprofit corporation that insures investors against the failure of brokerage houses, similar to the way that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insures bank deposits. SIPC does not insure against market risk. An individual who does investment research and makes recommendations to buy, sell, or hold.
Most analysts specialize in a single industry or business sector.
The federal agency created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to administer that act and the Securities Act of 1933. The statutes administered by the SEC are designed to promote full public disclosure and protect the investing public against fraudulent and manipulative practices in the securities markets. A physical facility in which buyers and sellers of securities, or their agents, meet to effect transactions. An automated Nasdaq market service that enables securities firms to route orders, negotiate terms, and execute trades in Nasdaq securities, eliminating the need for verbal contact between trading desks. An entity, such as the NASD, responsible for regulating its members through the adoption and enforcement of rules and regulations governing the business conduct of its members.