May 12, 2009
No restrictions should be placed on short sales.
This course will cause less money to be invested, less money moving hands, and less activity in the market.
People that made money short selling these stocks are the same people that will buy the stocks back when they reach their true valuation. If no one can make money from their fall, then there will be no one with enough money to buy them and help them rise in value.
Another point, when investors want to sell it's not always because of panic or herd behavior. Sometimes a compnay really is in bad shape and doesn't deserve to have the money vested to their care. In these cases the only people that will buy this stock and keep it from being worthless are those that sold short.
Rather than restricting investors from making money and meddling in the market, focus on promoting ethical, fair, conservative financial practices that build true confidence in the market.
Stop trying to downplay how bad this economic collapse really is. Admit the problems, disclose the problems, address the problems, and wait out the time it takes the market to recover on its own. The market is way to enormous and momentous for regulators to stop it from doing what it must. You have a better chance of putting your hand in the mighty Mississippi and trying change its direction.
No more restrictions on the investor, just make sure honest business practices prevail.