I can just about see a case for letting FTC officials hold industry-specific funds long, along the same lines as giving employees stock grants; in some sense yo

I can just about see a case for letting FTC officials hold industry-specific funds long, along the same lines as giving employees stock grants; in some sense you might want the regulators to want the broader industry to be successful. Even this is questionable though; are we currently erring in having regulators be too business-hostile? Unclear. But allowing regulators to trade individual stocks that they regulate is unacceptable, at any dollar value. There is just no way to avoid conflicts of interest. If this rule means you can’t hire good people, the salary needs to increase.