SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)
The federal agency that regulates U.S. securities markets and protects investors.
Created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the 1929 crash, the SEC enforces federal securities laws, regulates exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq), oversees mutual funds and ETFs, and reviews IPO and other public company disclosures (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K filings). It also registers and oversees investment advisers managing more than $100 million. The SEC’s EDGAR database holds every public company filing and is free to search. If a product is sold to the public as an ‘investment’, it almost certainly falls under SEC jurisdiction.
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