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SEC Follow Up Exhibits Part C SEC_OEA_FCIC_001760-2501

SEC Follow Up Exhibits Part C SEC_OEA_FCIC_001760-2501

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Reg SHO Pilot Report 2/12/2007<br />

groups based on market capitalization and turnover (trading volume divided by shares<br />

outstanding). The results for the smallest and least actively traded stocks within the Russell 3000<br />

would be the most informative about the likely impact of price restrictions for those stocks that<br />

are not in the Russell 3000. Moreover, comparing large and small stocks (or high and low<br />

volume stocks) within the Russell 3000 should reveal whether any effects of the price restrictions<br />

are related to size or volume.<br />

This study investigates various hypotheses relating to the potential effects of price<br />

restrictions. First, if price restrictions represent an economically meaningful constraint on short<br />

selling, they may induce some traders to avoid short selling or to reduce the size of their short<br />

positions. Thus, we test whether the level of short trading volume and short interest are<br />

significantly different for pilot and control stocks. 11 Both for Listed Stocks and Nasdaq NM<br />

Stocks, we find that price restrictions reduce the volume of executed short sales relative to total<br />

volume, indicating that price restrictions indeed act as a constraint to short selling. However, in<br />

neither market do we find significant differences in short interest across pilot and control stocks.<br />

To the extent that price restrictions are applied in some markets and not in others trading<br />

the same stocks, traders who find the restrictions binding might avoid the constraint by choosing<br />

a venue where the constraint is not applied. Specifically, because not all markets that trade<br />

Nasdaq NM Stocks apply the Nasdaq Bid Test, short sellers can route their orders to avoid the<br />

rule. Removing the rule eliminates the need to avoid it and therefore might affect where short<br />

sales in Nasdaq NM Stocks are executed. Our results indicate that Nasdaq’s share of short selling<br />

volume is negatively impacted by price restrictions, suggesting that some short sellers are routing<br />

orders to avoid price restrictions.<br />

11 Short interest is the total number of shares of a security that have been sold short and have not yet been<br />

repurchased.<br />

Prepared by the Office of Economic Analysis 6

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