Nasdaq’s proposed $5 million market capitalization delisting threshold has sparked opposition from small U.S. businesses.

According to Bloomberg, Nasdaq plans to immediately suspend trading of listed companies with a market capitalization below $5 million for 30 consecutive days, followed by delisting, to curb market manipulation such as "pump and dump" schemes in micro-cap stocks. The proposal has faced opposition from small U.S. businesses; regulators put its rollout on hold last month and are soliciting further public comments. Bloomberg data shows more than 190 Nasdaq-listed companies currently have a market cap of no more than $5 million, with roughly one-third based in Asia and nearly half in the U.S. Opposing companies argue that natural price fluctuations stemming from low trading volume are not equivalent to market manipulation, and the proposal could deter financing and harm normally operating businesses. Unlike existing delisting rules for low share prices, which provide a 180-day correction period, the new proposal does not offer an extended grace period. Nasdaq, for its part, stated that securities assigned very low valuations by the market are more prone to volatility, posing an ongoing challenge to fair and orderly trading. NYSE American also proposed a similar $5 million threshold in March this year, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed a final vote as well.