Regardless of what (if any) action is taken on this notice, the decision to invest must be with the investor. Limiting retail traders' use of complex instruments represents a dangerous slippery slope. I'm all in favor of curbing advertisements for these products. Likewise, leveraged products should provide clear disclosures detailing their risk profiles and internal workings. However, denying investors the ability to hedge (with option sales or inverse ETFs for instance) makes them easy prey to those that can.
Consider these examples: cash covered puts or covered calls are LESS risky than buying 100 shares at a given strike. Their commissions represent a godsend when positioning investments in a volatile environment (e.g. right now). Likewise, holding options for inverse ETFs has potential to stabilize portfolios in a downed market while limiting the risks associated with short selling.
In both cases, curbing said instruments' use would have a chilling effect, forcing the investor to be cautious exactly when they'd stand to profit most. It should also be noted that most brokers have clear-cut policies to limit excessive margin and reckless trading. If individual brokers allow damaging losses to accrue, let them be dealt with individually. The investor must have control of their capital, especially if their activity poses no risk to anyone but themselves.
Ian Allcock Comment On Regulatory Notice 22-08
Regardless of what (if any) action is taken on this notice, the decision to invest must be with the investor. Limiting retail traders' use of complex instruments represents a dangerous slippery slope. I'm all in favor of curbing advertisements for these products. Likewise, leveraged products should provide clear disclosures detailing their risk profiles and internal workings. However, denying investors the ability to hedge (with option sales or inverse ETFs for instance) makes them easy prey to those that can.
Consider these examples: cash covered puts or covered calls are LESS risky than buying 100 shares at a given strike. Their commissions represent a godsend when positioning investments in a volatile environment (e.g. right now). Likewise, holding options for inverse ETFs has potential to stabilize portfolios in a downed market while limiting the risks associated with short selling.
In both cases, curbing said instruments' use would have a chilling effect, forcing the investor to be cautious exactly when they'd stand to profit most. It should also be noted that most brokers have clear-cut policies to limit excessive margin and reckless trading. If individual brokers allow damaging losses to accrue, let them be dealt with individually. The investor must have control of their capital, especially if their activity poses no risk to anyone but themselves.