A weekly compilation of news from around the world of investor relations.
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Volatile Stocks Seen Leaving Lasting Scars on U.S. Fund Investors’ Psyche
Last week’s record volatility in U.S. stocks ended after four days. The anxiety it instilled among mutual-fund investors may linger for years. Bloomberg
Hedge Funds Most Bearish Since 2009
Bearish wagers against global stocks at hedge funds have surged to the highest level since July 2009 as the European debt crisis and reports showing an economic slowdown cause the biggest losses in almost three years. Bloomberg
Banks Scorn Franco-German Transaction Tax Proposal
Shares in stock exchange operators took a hit after French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled a plan to tax financial transactions. Reuters
Is the SEC Covering Up Wall Street Crimes?
A whistle-blower claims that over the past two decades, the agency has destroyed records of thousands of investigations, whitewashing the files of some of the nation’s worst financial criminals. Rolling Stone
SEC Approves NYSE IR Services Rule
THE US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) rule opposed by investor relations service providers who fear the measure will harm their ability to compete. IR Web Report
HKEx Says in JV talks with Shanghai, Shenzhen Exchanges
The Hong Kong stock exchange said it was in talks with its peers in Shanghai and Shenzhen to set up a joint venture for equity derivatives and index compilations, a move that would represent the first concrete link between three exchanges focused on China’s vast economy. Reuters
IPOs Could be a No-Go for a While
The stock market’s drastic fluctuations last week spooked many companies that had plans to go public, prompting some analysts to speculate that the number of public offerings would be down through September, if not longer. Washington Post
Number of IPOs in the Gulf Region on Decline
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said deal values in the region, which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have plunged by 57 per cent to US$358 million from $830m a year earlier. The National
AICPA Recommends SEC Allow Optional Adoption of IFRS by US Public Companies
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has recommended to the Securities and Exchange Commission that U.S. public companies be allowed the option of adopting use of International Financial Reporting Standards as the commission weighs a possible future framework for incorporating IFRS into the U.S. financial reporting system. News Release
Not Just Whistling Dixie: The SEC Whistleblower Chief Speaks
Last Friday, the SEC’s whistleblower rules (PDF) went fully into effect, and the Office of the Whistleblower web page went live. The Office’s Chief, Sean McKessy, spoke forcefully about why companies should not be overly alarmed. But the proof will be in the results. ON Securities
Ashton Kutcher Could Face Questions About Disclosure
The Securities and Exchange Commission could have questions for Mr. Kutcher too. If he was aware that the companies profiled plan to raise money soon through an initial stock offering, he would not be allowed to discuss those companies under an S.E.C. rule that mandates a “quiet period.” And if any of the companies have shares that are traded on a secondary market, S.E.C. laws would apply there too. NY Times Bits Blog
Analysis: Company Report Pace Frustrates Accounting Experts
Cheap computing power has made real-time reports more technically feasible, but advocates still struggle to draw wide support for the idea. Reuters
The City Earnings Game
Dear all, Please find attached consensus numbers for your information, ahead of tomorrow’s results. FT Alphaville
StockTwits Grows With Wild Stock Market
The recent wild gyrations in the stock market have been a boon for one start-up. StockTwits, an online platform for sharing ideas about stocks that integrates with Twitter, saw time spent on its website and messages up more than 200% over the last 12 months. Forbes
CSX Decision May Encourage Use of Social Media by Shareowners
This court case is a very positive, especially for retail shareowners who will soon be relying more and more on social networking tools now in development that will make “concerted action” by widely dispersed shareowners much more feasible. CorpGov.net
Live Tweeting Becomes a Fixture of Earnings Season
So far during the second-quarter reporting season, more than 50 companies have used networks like Twitter and StockTwits to live tweet their earnings announcements, analyst conference calls and to direct investors to additional information as it becomes available. IR Web Report
The Power of Rumours and Why Social Media is Critical
Staying apprised of the conversations on social channels and using these channels to provide more context around issues – particularly rumours will allow a company to establish their voice of authority. That said, providing as much information around a particular issue will help investors make informed decisions and can also potentially mitigate numerous calls to the investor relations department. Q4 Blog
Mobile Apps Beat the Mobile Web Among US Android Smartphone Users
The top 50 apps account for 61% of all time spent. With 250,000+ Android apps available at the time of this writing, that means the remaining 249,950+ apps have to compete for the remaining 39% of the pie. Nielsen
Pam Agnew, ABC is a director of IR Web Reporting International Inc. and an award-winning communicator. She has more than 20 years of corporate and agency experience in investor, crisis, corporate, media, stakeholder and sustainability communications on four continents for leading global companies as well as stock exchanges, securities regulators and large institutional investors.
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