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> Dont get me wrong about short sellers too. The act of short selling is technically good. There are some good firms that pay for investigations into large publ
by rhapsodic 6y ago
> Dont get me wrong about short sellers too. The act of short selling is technically good. There are some good firms that pay for investigations into large public companies to expose complex crimes, then short sell to recoup and profit. Melvin isnt one of them.
Why can't they recoup their costs through put options?
In my view, short selling is a legalized form of fraud. A share of stock is "borrowed", but not with the actual owner's knowledge or permission. Then it is "sold", but unlike with a normal sale, the actual owner still thinks they own that share, as does the buyer. They can't both be correct. In a normal sale of some thing, when the buyer takes ownership, the former owner must relinquish ownership. And they'll both, henceforth, behave accordingly.
In a short sale scenario, both "owners" think they own the same share of stock. The "demand" they collectively create for two shares of the stock is sated by one share. So the price drops. When you have the ability (i.e. the money) to do it on a large scale, you drive the price of the stock down. That's the scam. It's not hard to understand.
IMO, the only reason short selling is legal is because it makes very rich and very powerful people even more rich and more powerful.