SEC Hires JPM Banker As Its Most Important Markets Regulator; May Blow Up HFTs

Yes, it’s another glaring case of “revolving door” cronyism between Wall Street and the SEC: on Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced it had hired Brett Redfearn, a JPMorgan banker, to head the agency’s Division of Trading and Markets, arguably the most important group within the SEC, one which oversees U.S. stock markets and brokerages. Redfearn, who is currently head of market structure at JPM, would fill a slot that has been vacant since January when the previous head of Trading & Markets, Stephen Luparello left the SEC… and three months later joined Citadel as General Counsel, which as a reminder is one of the biggest HFT operators and retail orderflow frontrunners in the world, is responsible for one-fifth of all trading on the $26 trillion US stock market and lists Ben Bernanke as its advisor.

The regulator’s Division of Trading and Markets group plays a key role in dealing with some of the most pressing matters facing the agency, including overseeing the construction of a massive trade database being built to help U.S. regulators police the stock market and keep tabs on high frequency traders, as well as writing rules for exchanges and dark pools.

To simplify: a JPMorgan guy is coming in to fill the most important regulatory position at the SEC, one that looks at market structure – and fairness – and which until recently was filled by a guy who now works at Citadel as its new general counsel. A revolving door, if there ever was one…

To be sure, that this is another glaring example of regulatory capture, is painfully obvious. Only this time there may be a twist.

While SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has signaled a willingness to change market-structure rules that some critics argue are antiquated, he’s provided few details on his approach. Clayton, a former deals lawyer whose career wasn’t focused on market-structure issues, has prioritized bolstering initial public offerings according to Bloomberg. As a result, Redfearn – the former head of market structure at America’s biggest bank – will likely have significant sway at the agency because of his expertise.