Small investors fear US SEC will drive corporate gadflies to extinction

Federal regulators are looking at new rules that could rein in shareholders who hold as little as $2,000 in stock to get their proposals on proxy ballots. Business groups are pressing for higher ownership thresholds like the one adopted last year in Texas, where investors are now required to own at least $1 million in stock or a 3% stake to file a proposal with companies incorporated there. Governance watchdogs warn the most extreme options under consideration stand to muzzle “There's certainly a chilling ...