Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representative (Series 6)Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Enhance your competence for the Series 6 Exam. Study with expertly crafted multiple-choice questions, each complete with hints and detailed explanations. Elevate your performance and pass the exam with confidence.

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.


____________ is the only form of price manipulation allowed by the SEC.

  1. Stabilization

  2. Firm commitment underwriting

  3. Churning

  4. Painting the tape

The correct answer is: Stabilization

Stabilization is a permitted form of price manipulation under SEC regulations, specifically during the initial public offering (IPO) process. This practice involves underwriting firms purchasing shares of a new issue to support the stock price and prevent it from falling excessively in the immediate aftermarket. Stabilization is intended to help provide a smooth transition in pricing and assure investors of the stock's value when it first hits the market. In contrast, the other options represent practices that are generally considered manipulative and are prohibited. Firm commitment underwriting refers to a method where the underwriter buys the entire issue from the issuer and resells it to the public, but it does not involve price manipulation. Churning is an unethical practice of excessively trading securities to generate commissions for a broker, which is against regulatory guidelines. Painting the tape involves creating fictitious trading activity to mislead investors about the true demand or price of a security, which is also illegal. Thus, stabilization is recognized by the SEC as a controlled method of maintaining market integrity during certain transactions, while the others are deemed illicit actions within the financial markets.