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Gypsy Swaps

The term known as a gypsy swap is a method of raising capital that involves persuading existing shareholders to exchange their free-trading, common stock for a restricted one. Gypsy Swap is a transaction that has been in practice by stock promoters for many years. The SEC's view is that Gypsy Swaps are a means to evade the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and violate Section 5 of the Securities Act. The SEC has established specific rules in the Securities Act under Section 5 that require any new stock transaction must be listed with the SEC. The SEC has said unequivocally that Gypsy Swaps are infractions of Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, exposing all participants to monetary and other civil penalties, including disgorgement. It's important for issuers and investors to remember that a Gypsy Swap is only one way to avoid the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act. Any transaction in which t...

What does fifth letter in ticker means?

A ticker or stock symbol is an abbreviation or an acronym that uniquely identifies securities of particular company on particular stock market. It consists of letters, numbers or both in a combination that is unique for every company. The term ticker itself came from the sound made by ticker tape machine that transmitted stock price information over telegraphic lines. They were supposed to be short to minimize the number of character printed on the ticker tape and to make them easy to recognize for traders and investors. Company's ticker may change due to various reasons, reflecting a merger, name change of a company or if the company trades on multiple exchanges worldwide. US modern letter only ticker symbol was developed by Standard&Poor to bring national standard to investing, Companies trading on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) usually have three letter ticker symbol while Nasdaq ones usually have four letter stock symbol. In July 2007 Securities and ...

Is reverse split good or bad?

Reverse stock split reduces number of outstanding shares in a predetermined ratio. It is also known as stock consolidation, share rollback or stock merger because two or more shares are merged into one more valuable share.  Reverse split is considered to be a corporate action, meaning action that is affecting share price and needs to be approved by the company's board of directors and possibly by voting shareholders. Company can even get additional letter D to its ticker signifying that it is going through reverse split. Number of total outstanding shares, which includes shares currently held by all shareholders, including institutional investors and restricted shares, is usually divided with 5 or 10 getting ratio one for five or one for ten but it can be as little as one to two or big as one to hundred. For example if you have 100 shares worth $1 each so you have $100 worth of shares. if a company is going for one for then reverse split, you will receive ten shares, each...

What you need to know about preferred stock?

Preferred stock, also know as preferred or preference shares is one of the main types of stock besides common shares. It is considered that preferred stock is a hybrid security that combines properties of debt (fixed dividends) and equity (potential to raise in price). They are distinct from common shares because they don't have voting rights but have higher claim on company's assets and earnings. Terms of preferred stock are described in issuing document; they can be issued under any set of terms that is compliant to laws and regulations. Preference in dividends is what distinguish preferred  from common stock. Board of directors makes decision whether or not company will pay dividends to its shareholders. Dividends are specified as percentage of the par value or as a fixed amount. Common shareholders can receive dividends only if preferred shareholders are already paid in full if board decides to pay them dividends in the first place. This makes them similar to bonds...

What is common stock?

A stock is a type of security that signifies peace of ownership in a corporation an represents a claim on a part of the corporation's assets and earnings. There two main types of shares: common shares and preferred shares. There are clear distinction between two types of shares, primarily based on voting rights and dividend payments. Common shares are also know as ordinary shares, voting shares or equity shares. First ever common stock was established in 1602 by Dutch East India Company and introduced on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.  During initial public offering company offers shares for sale and in that way sells part of the company in order to raise capital. Underwriter helps company to determine type and pricing of offered securities. After IPO company's shares become publicly traded and company can issue new stock. Percentage of shareholders' ownership is determined by the number of shares in his possession, which are some percentage of total number of out...