Securities Regulation and Corporate Finance

This course examines the rules that come into play when businesses seek to raise capital by offering securities to potential investors. We will look at how “security” is defined, how businesses can raise capital without much regulatory burden by offering securities in the private markets, the obligations that are triggered when a business decides to go public and what they mean for how the business is organized, and the risks and duties that come with being a public company (and being an insider of such a company). We also will look briefly at the regulation of service providers in the capital markets, like securities dealers, portfolio managers, and marketplaces. Throughout the course, we will engage with current policy debates about the scope, structure, and substance of securities regulation.