Disclosure Requirements for Commodities as well as Stocks

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I am troubled by the lack of a disclosure requirement by SA for contributors writing about various commodities as to whether they hold a position in the commodity.  SA has this requirement for stocks, but not commodities, and why not?  I have seen many cases over the last few years and hundreds of articles where I find, upon further direct conversations with the contributor, that they indeed hold positions in the commodity they are writing about, WITHOUT DISCLOSURE.  For example in the oil space, writers will comment on their bullish or bearish price targets on crude oil.  At the end of the article they will state that they have no positions in the stocks mentioned.  All the while, they actually do hold positions in the commodity.  It makes no sense not to require a contributor to disclose that they hold a position with commodities, but not for stocks.  I think every reader of these articles has a right to know if the writer has a personal stake in the commodity in which they are writing.  It could make a difference in the objectivity of the article, and it would allow the reader to keep that fact in mind.

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George Moriarty

Thank you for raising this point. You are spot on, and this is something we will address in the very near future. 


Thanks,
GBM