Seventy-five years ago, during the peak of the Great Depression, the SEC was established by Congress to restore investor confidence. Today, the SEC continues to build on that essential purpose with a clear mission: to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation.

Today, as more and more investors turn to the markets to help secure their futures, pay for homes, and send children to college, our investor protection mission is more important than ever. And as the nation’s securities exchanges mature into global for-profit competitors, there is even greater need for sound market regulation.

A growing economy that produces jobs, improves the standard of living, and protects the value of savings is in the common interest of all Americans. That’s why all the SEC’s actions must be taken with an eye toward promoting capital formation necessary to sustain economic growth.