Market regulator SEBI on Friday announced that naked short-selling not be permitted in the Indian securities market. According to the just-released SEBI circular, “all investors would be required to mandatorily honor their obligation of delivering the securities at the time of settlement.”
The SEBI circular further states institutional investors are prohibited from engaging in day trading, meaning they are not allowed to square off their transactions within the same trading day. Specifically, all transactions conducted by institutional investors will be aggregated at the custodians’ level, and these institutions must meet their obligations on a gross basis. Custodians, however, will still settle their delivery obligations with stock exchanges on a net basis.
The market watchdog also adds that the Indian stock exchanges shall frame key deterrent rules and take necessary action against the brokers. Those brokers who “fail to deliver securities at the time of settlement which shall act as a sufficient deterrent against failure to deliver,” the circular said.