• Sep 18, 2024

US SEC votes allow half-penny stock pricing

Wall Street's top regulator on Wednesday unanimously voted to allow stock exchanges to price many stocks in increments of half a penny, rather than the current minimum size of 1 cent, aiming to promote more competitive pricing and reduce investor costs on the $55 trillion U.S. equities markets. The new rule should also help stock exchanges compete with off-exchange trading venues, which represent nearly half of trading volume, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. "This will lower costs for investors as well as improve liquidity, competition and price efficiency in the markets," SEC Chair Gary Gensler said.