The annual “SEC Speaks Conference,” where the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its senior staff review the major developments from the prior year, and preview the SEC’s enforcement priorities for the upcoming year, convened in Washington D.C. on February 21-22, 2014. From the outset, it became clear that the SEC is eager to complete and move past its extensive rule-making responsibilities under the Dodd-Frank Act and JOBS Act, and to use the resulting enhanced statutory regime to keep pace with an ever-changing market. To compensate for staff and financial resources that the SEC claims are already stretched thin, it expects data analytics tools to enhance nearly every aspect of its operations in 2014. This includes relying on the new Market Information Data Analytics System (MIDAS) and improved statistical analysis of market participant data.
An update on the key themes of the conference can be found here.