The Canadian stock market lists many low capitalization securities, i.e. "penny stocks, which are generally acquired and exchanged by individual investors. These securities have not been studied in depth and are thus not very well known. We describe this market and three particular risk forms to...

In Canada, most of the private placements are offered by small and unprofitable entrepreneurial ventures -- for which the asymmetry of information and adverse selection problems are particularly acute. Private placements are a very important source of equity for these emerging businesses. In...

According to Coffee (2002), the number of securities exchanges in the world is likely to eventually shrink radically, under the effects of globalization and technology, thus leading to the question of the survival of relatively small exchanges. However, little information exists regarding the...

Most countries have set up structures and programs for new business creation and financing. We analyze strategies implemented in France, Germany and United Kingdom, where the proportion of government funds in venture capital financing is significantly smaller than in the Quebec, yet the rate of...

Acknowledging that securities regulation penalizes small growing firms in their attempt to raise equity capital, most of the Canadian provinces have recently reformed their exemption rules. These rules allow the issuance of securities outside the boundaries of securities regulation. The rules...

We analyze the survival and success of a large sample of Canadian penny stock initial public offerings (IPOs), launched mostly by small and unprofitable firms from 1986 to 2003. The failure rate of these IPOs is lower than the one observed in the U.S. for larger IPOs, probably because of lax...

The Quebec Stock Savings Plan (QSSP) is one of the oldest tax expenditures programs put in place by the Quebec government to capitalize small businesses. Subsequently adopted by other provinces, QSSP is primarily intended to increase the demand for newly issued shares of small businesses. This...

We analyze the competition between two developed stock exchanges. Their development rests mainly on their capacity to attract securities and trades. The U.S. market is attracting a growing number of Canadian companies, and is capturing a growing portion of their traded value. This slide of...

This report analyzes and comments on the principal arguments put forward by the Crawford Panel to support the establishment of a single securities commission in Canada. One argument advanced is that the current rules-based regulatory structure should be replaced with a principles-based approach...

This report analyzes and comments on the principal arguments put forward by the Crawford Panel to support the establishment of a single securities commission in Canada. One argument advanced is that the current rules-based regulatory structure should be replaced with a principles-based approach...