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Naked Share Traders Banned?

2

Comments

  • headcone
    headcone Posts: 536 Forumite
    Generali wrote: »
    Ha ha!

    Short selling ordinarily means that you borrow shares from someone and then sell them. You hope to be able to buy them later to return them to the person you borrowed them from for less than you sold them for. Instead of buy low sell high it's sell high buy low.

    However naked shorting is where you sell someone the shares and instead of borrowing them you just fail to deliver the shares. My opinion is that this is something that shouldn't be allowed as it creates the possibilty of markets being manipulated.

    The reason is that you have to pay to borrow stock whereas naked shorting is free*. It's illegal in the US although it still happens there quite regularly IME. The way people** get round it is that they arrange to borrow the stock and then fail to receive the stock they borrowed.




    *If a dividend is paid on the stock, the short seller will need to make good on it to the buyer.
    **One big US bank used to do this regularly

    In concise terms,the action of a thief/conman.
    Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam
  • Mr_Mumble
    Mr_Mumble Posts: 1,758 Forumite
    BaFin has banned naked short sales in the following financial sector companies: AAREAL BANK AG
    ALLIANZ SE
    COMMERZBANK AG
    DEUTSCHE BANK AG
    DEUTSCHE BÖRSE AG
    DEUTSCHE POSTBANK AG
    GENERALI Deutschland HOLDING AG
    HANNOVER RÜCKVERSICHERUNG AG
    MLP AG
    MÜNCHENER RÜCKVERSICHERUNGS-GESELLSCHAFT AG
    These bans apply from 19 May 2010, 00:00, until 31 March 2011, 24:00, and will be reviewed.
    The laydees here will not be pleased :eek:

    If you want to frighten investors into believing a big financial institution is about to fail then wait until markets are closed and then announce a ban on a form of trading before markets reopen. Congratulations Germany!
    "The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else." -- Frederic Bastiat, 1848.
  • Generali
    Generali Posts: 36,411 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    headcone wrote: »
    In concise terms,the action of a thief/conman.

    Pretty much. My opinion is that it is immoral to short naked.
  • Generali
    Generali Posts: 36,411 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Mr_Mumble wrote: »
    The laydees here will not be pleased :eek:

    If you want to frighten investors into believing a big financial institution is about to fail then wait until markets are closed and then announce a ban on a form of trading before markets reopen. Congratulations Germany!


    They've not banned shorting, just naked shorting. Naked shorting is a highly dubious practice and isn't conducive to ordered markets IMO.
  • headcone
    headcone Posts: 536 Forumite
    edited 19 May 2010 at 1:15AM
    Naked shorting is unaccaptable to any right thinking person regardless of political bias.

    It is quite frankly theft and immoral.

    As an important edit it should also be illegal.
    Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam
  • Mr_Mumble
    Mr_Mumble Posts: 1,758 Forumite
    Generali wrote: »
    They've not banned shorting, just naked shorting. Naked shorting is a highly dubious practice and isn't conducive to ordered markets IMO.
    That's why I used the lingo "form of trading", I'm against naked shorts too. Its just that when a government does this overnight rather than following the usual legislative process its going to panic folk into believing: Lehman mk2.

    PS. I am in favour of naked CDS which the Germans have banned on sovereign European debt. Here are a couple of robust defenses of naked CDS:
    http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/03/02/cds-demonization-watch-morgensonmunchau-edition/
    http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2010/03/02/161556/the-benefits-of-naked-cds/
    headcone wrote: »
    As an important edit it should also be illegal.
    Afaik naked shorting is illegal in the US (though oddly enough - given stereotype - most other countries allow it).
    "The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else." -- Frederic Bastiat, 1848.
  • Generali
    Generali Posts: 36,411 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Mr_Mumble wrote: »
    That's why I used the lingo "form of trading", I'm against naked shorts too. Its just that when a government does this overnight rather than following the usual legislative process its going to panic folk into believing: Lehman mk2.

    PS. I am in favour of naked CDS which the Germans have banned on sovereign European debt. Here are a couple of robust defenses of naked CDS:
    http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/03/02/cds-demonization-watch-morgensonmunchau-edition/
    http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2010/03/02/161556/the-benefits-of-naked-cds/


    Afaik naked shorting is illegal in the US (though oddly enough - given stereotype - most other countries allow it).

    Naked shorting is illegal in the US although it happens a lot as it is hard to prove. I am also against naked CDS although I don't know if I'd go as far as banning it.

    I'm not sure that banning naked shorting overnight is going to cause any sort of panic or run. Having said that it helps maintain an orderly market if you tell everyone in advance that you're going to change the rules - if you enter into a trade legally you should have the chance to exit it in an reasonable way rather than suddenly finding you've been outlawed. Anyone sitting long these stocks will be making huge amounts in lending fees tomorrow!

    PS Any connection between me and Generali in your earlier post is purely coincidental!
  • Jonbvn
    Jonbvn Posts: 5,562 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Euro down below $1.22 as I type.

    I am a bit perplexed why the Germans took this action unilaterally quite suddenly? What do they know that we don't? It certainly seems to have spooked the markets.
    In case you hadn't already worked it out - the entire global financial system is predicated on the assumption that you're an idiot:cool:
  • kennyboy66_2
    kennyboy66_2 Posts: 2,598 Forumite
    Generali wrote: »
    They've not banned shorting, just naked shorting. Naked shorting is a highly dubious practice and isn't conducive to ordered markets IMO.

    Would you have banned George Soros from short selling Sterling in 1992 ?

    Presumably this is a form of naked short selling.
    US housing: it's not a bubble

    Moneyweek, December 2005
  • 09:53 19May10 -German shorting ban sends markets into spin

    Germany's ban of risky bets on bonds, stocks and credit
    protection, stunned investors and sent the euro spiralling lower
    on Wednesday amid fears Berlin's attack on naked short-selling
    of some securities will backfire.

    Chancellor Angela Merkel put the euro under yet more
    pressure by declaring it was in danger.

    Germany's lack of coordination with other countries,
    including euro zone members, underscored how the measures may
    backfire and so roil, rather than calm, markets already on edge
    about the euro zone debt crisis, analysts said.
    Please take the time to have a look around my Daughter's website www.daisypalmertrust.co.uk
    (MSE Andrea says ok!)
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