February 7, 2022
I am a retail investor and I am in favor of this rule. From this report and the regulations suggested it is unclear to me how any of these swap and market mechanisms could in any situation make the US stock market a more stable and trustworthy institution.
Since the 2008 GFC, and even moreso in the last 18 months it has become evident that Reg-SHO is essentially ignored by broker-dealers and they continue to navigate the market unpunished, or loosely punished at best with fines being small fractions of the total profits created. We need real consequences for both the institutions and individuals who flagrantly ignore these rules. White collar crime has been woefully under prosecuted, often just opting for fines that can easily be paid for from the profit made from breaking regulations.
Until the overall dark pool abuse, (90 - 95% as admitted by Gary Gensler) is resolved, hidden positions in married call/puts, and naked shorting are prevented I will continue my distrust of government officials to enforce any change in these rules and the stability of the US stock market as a whole. Without serious repercussions for dangerous and fraudulent behavior, I fear that many other disgruntled retail investors will take their funds from the NYSE exchange into crypto-based systems or other alternatives.