May 8, 2009
I the undersigned believe in not just free markets, but fair markets. While the practice of short-selling equities can contribute to the market in terms of liquidity and price discovery, if left unchecked the practice can impede capital formation. I believe that a relatively simple check that was in place for nearly seventy years, the "Uptick Rule", helped serve the markets well in balancing various participants' interests. I therefore urge the SEC to reinstate such a price test rule, and specifically would urge a plus tick rule over other alternatives such as a "best bid" or "circuit breaker" test.
I monitor stocks every day and have watched how heavy shorting, with out rules, has severely damaged many stocks during the last 18 months.