On May 14, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the request by the Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ) to delay until September 1, 2020, the implementation of a recently adopted rule that will accelerate the delisting process for listed companies (i) with securities in a minimum bid price compliance period (as described below) with bid prices at or below $0.10 or (ii) that have fallen below the minimum bid price after completing one or more reverse stock splits with a ratio of 250 shares (or more) to one over the prior two years.

NASDAQ’s continued listing rules require that a company’s listed equity securities maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share. A NASDAQ-listed company is noncompliant with this listing standard when the bid price for its listed security closes below $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days. Generally, after becoming noncompliant, a NASDAQ-listed company has a period during which it can regain compliance.[1]

Continue Reading Update: NASDAQ Temporarily Delays Implementation of Accelerated Delisting Rules During COVID-19 Pandemic

On May 4, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the Nasdaq Stock Market’s (NASDAQ) request to temporarily modify certain shareholder approval requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic to make it easier for NASDAQ-listed companies to access capital.

As we previously reported here, in April, the New York Stock Exchange similarly adopted temporary modifications to certain of its shareholder approval requirements.

To address the capital needs of its listed companies, NASDAQ has adopted a temporary exception to the shareholder approval requirements for 20% issuances.


Continue Reading Update: NASDAQ Provides Temporary Relief from Certain Shareholder Approval Requirements During COVID-19 Pandemic