RISK RELATING TO TRADING IN US EXCHANGE. LISTED OR OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) SECURITIES OR DERIVATIVES The Client should understand the US rules applicable to trades in security or security-like instrument in markets governed by US law before undertaking any such trading. US law could apply to trading in US markets irrespective of the law applicable in the Client’s home jurisdiction. Many (but by no means all) stocks, bonds and options are listed and traded on US stock exchanges. NASDAQ, which used to be an OTC market among dealers, has now also become a US exchange. For exchange-listed stocks, bonds and options, each exchange promulgates rules that supplement the rules of the US Securities & Exchange Commission ("SEC") for the protection of individuals and institutions trading in the securities listed on the exchange. OTC trading among dealers can continue in exchange-listed instruments and in instruments that are not exchange-listed at all. For securities that are not listed on any exchange, trading can continue through the OTC bulletin board or through the inter-dealer "pink sheets" that carry representative (not actual) dealer quotes. These facilities are outside of NASDAQ. Options on securities are subject to SEC rules and the rules of any securities exchange on which the options are listed. Options on futures contracts on commodities like wheat or gold are governed by rules of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"). There are also commercial options, like options on real estate, that are governed neither by SEC nor CFTC rules. Whether the Client is intending to trade in US exchange-listed securities, OTC securities or derivatives, he/she should understand the particular rules that govern the market in which the Client is intending to trade. An investment in any of these instruments tends to increase the risk and the nature of markets in derivatives tends to increase the risk even further. Market makers of OTC bulletin board are unable to use electronic means to interact with other dealers to execute trades. They must manually interact with the market, i.e. use standard phone lines to communicate with other dealers to execute trades. This may cause delays in the time it takes to interact with the market place. This, if coupled with increase in trade volume, may lead to wide price fluctuation in OTC bulletin board securities as well as lengthy delays in execution time. The Client should exercise extreme caution when placing orders and fully understand the risks associated with trad...
