July 18, 2011
Why does my government enact a law that makes naked short selling illegal, yet it stands by and allows Wall Street profiteers to continue the practice. NSS is often practiced against profitable companies, driving their price per share and limiting their access to capital. It also forces small investors to sell their holdings of a good, profitable company. Option profiteers don't even have to prove that they own the shares being shorted.
As an example, take a look at the gross manipulation by short sellers that my government has allowed on LDK Solar and JA Solar, two profitable solar panel manufacturers currently selling at between two and three times earnings while being over 50% short sold.
Options exist to allow the manipulation of the market by profiteers, not to serve individual investors and companies. If you want to help the market, protect the interests of the individual investor by stopping naked short selling.
When individual investors have an opportunity to INVEST in companies' future performance without the threat of the price being driven down by entities that don't even own the stock, they will return to the market in droves. As an individual, American, investor though, I sincerely doubt there will be any action at all to stop the practice of NSS. Which really means that my government is no longer "of the people, by the people and for the people."
Thank you,
Joel Gilbert