The technology used by U.S. stock exchanges faces tougher scrutiny from regulators following several high-profile breakdowns over the past year that snarled trading, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is drawing new standards for trading systems that would give the agency more powers to step in when problems occur. The vulnerability of U.S. stock trading to problems in increasingly interdependent electronic systems was highlighted by the May 2010 “flash crash,” which sharpened the SEC’s focus on technology.
