An average American who chooses to invest in equities is competent and capable of understanding the various forms of investments and the related risk. Being able to invest in leveraged equities is a crucial part of both traditional investing as well as hedging strategies that are ABSOLUTELY ABLE TO BE EMPLOYED WELL by average people. Reducing the number of potential investments and investment instruments will make the general market LESS robust and MORE fragile. Regulating leverage investment products will serve to benefit a protected class of investors at the expense of the public at large. If you believe in the right of the blue collar worker to improve their financial standing in life, this regulation should not be passed. If you believe that people in general have a right to spend their money how they best see fit, then this regulation should not be passed. If you believe that the average investor is going broke by "gambling" on leverage stocks (you're wrong and), EVEN THEN you should not pass this regulation before you ban all ACTUAL GAMBLING (which you should not do). I cannot see in any case how a congressperson who UNDERSTANDS leverage would want to ban it. The proposed restriction strikes me as much more of a panicked response of fear to a subject that they just do not understand (leverage). Or possibly the proposer thinks that the average American INVESTOR (not just average American) does zero due diligence in any investment they make and likes to throw fistfuls of money in the garbage bin. Restricting leveraged investments to the general public would result in a tremendous harm against the public and ironically committed by civil servants acting against the will of the people.
John Pavek Comment On Regulatory Notice 22-08
An average American who chooses to invest in equities is competent and capable of understanding the various forms of investments and the related risk. Being able to invest in leveraged equities is a crucial part of both traditional investing as well as hedging strategies that are ABSOLUTELY ABLE TO BE EMPLOYED WELL by average people. Reducing the number of potential investments and investment instruments will make the general market LESS robust and MORE fragile. Regulating leverage investment products will serve to benefit a protected class of investors at the expense of the public at large. If you believe in the right of the blue collar worker to improve their financial standing in life, this regulation should not be passed. If you believe that people in general have a right to spend their money how they best see fit, then this regulation should not be passed. If you believe that the average investor is going broke by "gambling" on leverage stocks (you're wrong and), EVEN THEN you should not pass this regulation before you ban all ACTUAL GAMBLING (which you should not do). I cannot see in any case how a congressperson who UNDERSTANDS leverage would want to ban it. The proposed restriction strikes me as much more of a panicked response of fear to a subject that they just do not understand (leverage). Or possibly the proposer thinks that the average American INVESTOR (not just average American) does zero due diligence in any investment they make and likes to throw fistfuls of money in the garbage bin. Restricting leveraged investments to the general public would result in a tremendous harm against the public and ironically committed by civil servants acting against the will of the people.