Securities Law:
is the field of US law that covers various aspects of transactions and other
dealings with securities. It includes both Federal and state level
regulation by purely governmental regulatory agencies, most notably the
Federal level United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). There
are also quasi-public 'self regulatory organizations' (SRO's) such as the
National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). A significant influence
is exerted by the availability of private rights of action under both state
and Federal securities laws, as well as more generalized laws covering
fraud. Futures and some aspects of derivatives are regulated by the Federal
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).