Trump Threatens to Move Stock Listing Following Trading Halt on Truth Social
ICARO Media Group
In a surprising turn of events, former President Donald Trump voiced his frustration towards Nasdaq, accusing the exchange of halting trading in shares of his social media company, Truth Social. Trump even went as far as threatening to move the listing to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), claiming that Nasdaq was taking orders from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for political reasons.
The controversy began when the stock of Trump Media & Technology Group, the owner of Truth Social, experienced a staggering surge on Friday after Trump himself made a significant announcement. He stated that he would not be selling any shares in the company, causing the stock to jump by 25%. This sudden increase triggered two routine trading halts, lasting for five minutes each, as per Nasdaq regulations.
Trading halts like these are a common occurrence and happen numerous times throughout the day for various stocks. For Trump Media, the first halt occurred at 2:26 p.m. ET and was lifted at 2:31 p.m. ET, shortly after Trump's press conference. However, the stock resumed trading briefly before being halted again at 2:34 p.m. ET for another five minutes. Nasdaq explained that these halts were a result of the "limit up-limit down" rules, which aim to protect investors and ensure market stability.
Market structure expert Joe Saluzzi explained that such trading halts have been mandated by federal regulators since 2013 across all U.S. exchange-listed stocks. Therefore, Trump's threat to move his stock listing to NYSE would have no effect, as both exchanges adhere to the same SEC rules.
Despite the routine nature of these trading halts, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction and issued a strong warning to Nasdaq. He vowed to hold the exchange, and possibly the SEC, accountable for their actions. In his post on his own social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated, "I am going to hold Nasdaq, and maybe the SEC, liable for doing what they are doing. If they do it again, we will move the stock to the New York Stock Exchange."
As of now, Nasdaq has not provided any comment in response to CNN's request for clarification.
It remains to be seen whether the trading halts will have any lasting impact on Truth Social and its future relationship with Nasdaq. Investors and market participants will be closely monitoring the situation to gauge any potential ramifications for the social media company's stock listing.
Note: The news article is generated using the information provided and does not present any opinion or additional details beyond the given context.