Technical Halt is a common practice in financial markets when companies do not have permission from regulatory authorities. This practice allows the company to temporarily stop trading in the Financial Exchange. The decision to issue a technical halt is made by the Financial Exchange Authority for a variety of reasons, but always has supervision and control from the Central Bank.
The main reasons for the technical halt are to maintain the integrity of financial markets and get full disclosure of any operational issues the company may have. For example, if the company is preparing to announce a major stock offering or merger, it must put a halt on trading in order to inform the public about the news. If the company did not halt trading and news of the stock offering or merger were released, the company would be at risk of insider trading or price manipulation.
The other advantage of a technical halt is its ability to protect investors. The Financial Exchange Authority will sometimes require the company to provide further compliance documents or undergo additional inspections on specific products and services in order to protect the investor. This requirement is especially common in the case of consumer products and services that may be associated with financial products or services. By halting trading temporarily, it gives the Financial Exchange Authority to adequately review the situation without any risk to the investor.
The requirements for a technical halt vary from country to country and sometimes from Exchange to Exchange, but all involve evaluation and supervision from the Central Bank or regulators. In all cases, it is important to understand the rules and regulations of the specific stock market before engaging in any form of investment.
Technical halts are a useful tool to prevent price manipulation and provide a layer of protection to investors. The temporary tap on trading allows the public to get full disclosure of any information needed and it helps uphold the integrity of financial markets. This practice is most common for companies that are planning to go through financial transactions and need to inform the public and stop trading in order to protect the investor and encourage ethical investing practices.