West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – In an effort to makes major changes to the EU financial regulation services, the European Commission (EC) has launched ‘Driving European Recovery’, a consultation  on major structural changes to European financial services and markets regulation.

The EC are looking for investors such as hedge funds and other interested parties to interview and submit comments before April 10th, when the EC intends to publish its proposals on the future of the EU supervisory architecture.

The Commission endorses the key principles set out in the recent de Larosière report and calls for a supervisory system combining stronger oversight at EU level with maintaining a key role for national supervisors.

The Commission will propose an ambitious new reform programme, designed to deliver “responsible and reliable financial markets for the future”.

The reform program will present a supervisory framework that detects potential risks early, deals with them effectively before they have an impact, and meets the challenge of complex international financial markets.

The Commission will present a European financial supervision package before the end of May 2009, according to a statement, fill gaps where European or national regulation is insufficient or incomplete, based on a ‘safety first’ approach and  improve risk management in financial firms and align pay incentives with sustainable performance.

Among other proposals to be revealed in May, the EC will, "Ensure more effective sanctions against market wrongdoing."

Alex Akesson

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New York (HedgeCo.Net) – New York hedge fund Peconic Partners was sued yesterday for firing an employee who reportedly was running his mouth about some shady insider trading activities.

The suit, filed by former Chief Compliance Officer Joseph Sullivan in New York State Supreme Court, accuses CEO William Harnisch of wrongfully firing him.

According to the 30-page complaint, Sullivan said he was let go after voicing reservations regarding Harnisch’s trading activity involving fertilizer company Potash Corp., whose stock plummeted last month. 

Sullivan alleged that Harnisch got rid of his 600,000 shares, selling them for $130 a share.  He then sold a chunk of his client’s shares for around $90 each.  This may have helped to drive the price down of Potash, which is now trading at around $82.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been contacted by Sullivan’s legal team to alert them of the possible insider trading activities. 

Peconic Partners was founded in 2004 and has approximately $1.5 billion under management.

Julie Scuderi
Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net
Email: julie@hedgeco.net

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