Somewhere between a magical disappearing act and a cruel joke lies the untold story of Anglo American's (OTC: AAUKY.PK) ADR shares.
After more than a week of surprising media silence and persistent confusion, the picture is now clear. The American depositary receipts of London-based miner Anglo American were delisted from the Nasdaq exchange after the markets closed on July 31, 2009 ... because they were never sanctioned by the company in the first place.
If that's news to you, it was news to me, too!
Anglo American never authorized the issuance of ADR shares for trade on a U.S. exchange. Instead, the shares were part of a category known as unsponsored ADRs. Banks like JPMorgan Chase
I knew that unsponsored ADRs trade over the counter on the Pink Sheets, but I never suspected that these securities could qualify for the Nasdaq OMX Group's
According to an explanation from Anglo American's website, posted to my blog by CAPS member deepminer, the delisting relates to Nasdaq's transition to official designation as a "National Securities Exchange." Aug. 1 marked the end of a grace period for affected securities to comply with relevant SEC regulations. Other affected Nasdaq offerings included Fujifilm Holdings and Nissan Motors. (Although the latter's ADR was sponsored, Nissan chose not to register.)
Collective investigations like this one highlight the extraordinary value of community intelligence that CAPS members routinely enjoy. Since the news media provided no explanation for the delisting whatsoever, with the only initial public announcement a cryptic press release from Standard & Poor's, we Fools fended for ourselves to solve the mystery of the disappearing shares.
Global investors need not be alarmed. ADRs currently listed on the major U.S. exchanges, including Vale
Related Foolishness:
- Anglo American recently made headlines as a target for acquisition by Swiss miner Xstrata.
