Question

An investment adviser has placed an order with the underwriter for 250,000 shares of XYZ stock, a new company that will be listed on NASDAQ. The adviser will allocate this purchase to its largest discretionary accounts. This action is a(n):

Answer 1

Complete Question:

An investment adviser has placed an order with the underwriter for 250,000 shares of XYZ stock, a new company that will be listed on NASDAQ. The adviser will allocate this purchase to its largest discretionary accounts. This action is a(n):

Group of answer choices

A. breach of fiduciary duty

B. front-running violation

C. fair and reasonable practice

D. insider trading violation

Answer:

breach of fiduciary duty.

Explanation:

In this scenario, an investment adviser has placed an order with the underwriter for 250,000 shares of XYZ stock, a new company that will be listed on NASDAQ. The adviser will allocate this purchase to its largest discretionary accounts. This action is a breach of fiduciary duty.

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), if a registered investment adviser favours a client over another while allocating a block, it simply means that the registered investment adviser has violated his or her fiduciary duty to the other customers who were denied a piece of the block.