The so-called "record date" is a cut-off date that can be found in Germany relates to the exercise of a shareholder's voting rights at the Annual General Meeting. Unlike in Germany, the Record Date in the USA in connection with the dividend payment.
Record Date in Germany
In Germany, the record date is a Deadlinewhich determines whether a shareholder may be represented at the general meeting of a stock corporation. voting is or is not. The record date is 21 days before the Annual General Meeting. Anyone who owns shares in a company on this date is entitled to exercise voting rights at the Annual General Meeting, even if the shares are sold again before the Annual General Meeting.
Record Date in the USA
In the USA, the Record Date (also: Date Of Record) is set by the Board Of Directors defined. The "Ex-dividend date" (i.e. the day on which a company's share is sold at a discount in the amount of the Dividend is traded) is set by the exchange on the day before the record date.
While in Germany the ex-dividend date is one day after the Annual General Meeting and the shares of the respective company are traded ex-dividend on this day and the dividend payment must be made no later than on the third trading day after the Annual General Meeting, in the USA the ex-dividend date is well before the dividend payment. To be entitled to the dividend, a shareholder must own the stock before the ex-date, in the U.S. as two days before the record date.
