In yet another triumph for the Law of Unintended Consequences, a group
of European companies, led by the Confederation of British Industry,
is calling on the SEC to relax its "de-listing" requirements for US stock
exchanges so that they can do so and escape the tender mercies of Sarbanes-Oxley.

According to this article, about 200 European companies are listed on
the NYSE or the Nasdaq, either directly or through having acquired a
U.S. firm, and as things stand the SEC requires firms to remain registered
with it—even if they de-list from a U.S. exchange—so long
as they have more than 300 U.S. shareholders. 

Now I understand:  We criticize the EU (rightly, IMHO) because
rules making it extremely costly to fire a worker make it unattractive
to hire new ones, leading to chronically high unemployment.  And
now we have created our own wonderful disincentive to listing and registration
here, with its attendant benefits for U.S. investors.

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