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The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) today launched a consultation on the scope of short position reporting (Note 1), which the SFC proposes to extend to all securities that can be short sold under the rules of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (SEHK) (Note 2).
Under the proposed expanded regime, which will also cover collective investment schemes (CIS), the reporting threshold for stocks will remain unchanged (Note 3), while the threshold for CIS will be set at $30 million.
"We have seen growth in short selling since the short position reporting regime was introduced in 2012. The expanded regime will help improve monitoring and enhance market transparency, and this will be conducive to the long-term development of the industry," said Mr Ashley Alder, the SFC’s Chief Executive Officer.
The public is invited to submit their comments to the SFC by 31 December 2015. Written comments may be submitted online via the SFC website (www.sfc.hk), by email to SPR-consult@sfc.hk, by post or by fax to 2521 7917.
Notes:
- The Securities and Futures (Short Position Reporting) Rules, effective 18 June 2012, apply to constituents of the Hang Seng Index and Hang Seng China Enterprises Index as well as other financial stocks specified by the SFC.
- A list of Designated Securities which can be short sold is published on the website of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited.
- The current reporting threshold is the lower of 0.02% of the stock’s market capitalisation, or $30 million.
