A new Securities and Exchange Commission rule bans senior officials of public companies from disclosing "material information" to financial analysts and big investors before making it public. And "material information" includes nearly anything an investor might want to know before buying or selling a security.
The little guy would surely pay the price if a company's stock soars or plummets because institutional investors buy or sell after company officials get the word out to hand-picked analysts.
No longer will the law permit institutions and analysts to be privy to important company information before small investors are. When significant news is divulged to friendly analysts or *large stockholders*, the company must reveal the same information to the public at the same time through an Internet posting, an SEC filing or a press release. And, if anything sensitive inadvertently slips out to an analyst or a reporter, the company has 24 hours to tell the whole truth to the world or suffer the SEC's wrath.
Shhhhh is the word until all is said and done or or suffer the SEC's wrath!!!!!