The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may propose within a month that the so-called uptick rule be reinstated, as regulators aim to bolster markets roiled by the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
The SEC staff may advise the agency’s five commissioners to vote on the proposal at a public meeting, SEC spokesman John Nester said today in a statement. The agency will solicit public comment before deciding whether to bring back the rule, which bars investors from betting against a stock until it sells at a higher price than the preceding trade.