ABSTRACT

Arising from lessons learned in the wake of a series of disastrous stock market crashes and Wall Street scandals, federal regulation in the United States has developed to govern the participation of each of the key actors in the securities markets: issuers, corporate managers, underwriters, brokers, dealers, investment advisors, traders, accountants, auditors, attorneys, whistleblowers, and regulators themselves. This entry systematically identifies the core ethical issues affecting each of these market actors, explains the primary legal mechanisms designed to address those challenges, and highlights current gaps and controversies in U.S. securities regulation.