Any questions?
The Securities and Exchange Commission is a government entity created to regulate the trading in securities such as stocks and bonds. The "SEC" as it is known was created after the Great Depression to protect the public by regulating the trading in stocks and bonds. The goal is for the average investor, Joe Q, to have access to the same information as the executives who oversee or work for the public companies that are traded on the exchanges.
All public companies must file their results with the SEC on a periodic basis, usually each quarter so that the public has access to the same information as the company executives. Also, the SEC makes sure that the "insiders" who work for the companies, do not have an unfair advantage to invest or trade in securities based on "inside" information that is not yet available to the public. So, the SEC is like an investment police force!
