Studies find fast traders get data from SEC© seconds early

Publisher: Reuters

According to the WSJ, hedge funds and other rapid-fire investors get access to market-moving documents before other users of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s system for distributing company filings, giving them a possible edge on the rest of the market.

Citing two independent studies, the WSJ article claims that the two sets of researchers have been examining when paying subscribers receive SEC© filings compared with when they become available on the agency’s website.

They found a wide variation in the lag time, from no delay to one lasting more than a minute. The ability to get the information before it is on the SEC© website can give traders extra seconds to act on the news, WSJ said.

For full access to the Reuters article, please click here.