In a media conference after the board meeting, SEBI chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey, along with whole time members Ananth Narayan, Ashwani Bhatia, Amarjeet Singh and Kamlesh Chandra Varshney made several important observations about the regulatory posture across segments. Excerpts:
What is the current regulatory stance on speculation through F&O trading and expiry day?
Ananth Narayan (AN): The actions that were taken in October last year were specifically directed to tackle the issue of overtrading in index options on expiry date and that remains the objective for SEBI. About expiry days across exchanges, we said that we will allow each exchange to have one expiry or weekly expiry and right now we have two days of the week, which we think is comfortable.
We will come out with a white paper giving out what the impact in the market has been but very broadly our objectives have been achieved, as there has been a decline in index options trading on expiry day. So our objectives have been pretty much being met.
Should there be further clamping down of shell companies by the regulator, in cases of corporate frauds?
Tuhin Kanta Pandey: In case of corporate frauds, and particularly, where false information is provided, we won’t hesitate to take stringent action. But we are finding out methods to systemically improve that such false disclosures are discovered very early. Our previous circular provided that a clarification, but the important point is that false disclosures are made and if there is a tendency to pump. We have to, along with exchanges, find how to really curb this at a systemic level so that things do not go undetected for too long.
AN: You make disclosures, you make rights issues, you make referential issues, you split shares, you pump it and dump it. So in the past what was happening is that we caught companies when the dumping had been done. In fact, we caught firms at ‘pump’ stage, saved Rs 22,000 crore.
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With the market going through a correction, unlike a steady rise for the last few years, does it pose different challenges for SEBI?
Pandey: We need to see the markets function with integrity. Of course, there are certain inherent risks with the market which we cannot backstop.
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