Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Overstock CEO Comments on SEC's New Rules Against Naked Short Selling
YahooNews ^ | 09/18/2008

Posted on 09/18/2008 5:59:35 AM PDT by devane617

Overstock.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSTK - News) chairman and CEO Patrick M. Byrne comments on the SEC's September 17, 2008 press release (see http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2008/2008-204.htm) that purports to protect investors against naked short selling. Dr. Byrne commented, "At the core of the SEC announcement is a decision that if a hedge fund naked shorts a stock, its broker isn't supposed to let them naked short again. But guess what: they were not supposed to naked short in the first place.

(Excerpt) Read more at biz.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: economics; economy; govwatch; sec
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-82 next last
fyi...nice article
1 posted on 09/18/2008 5:59:35 AM PDT by devane617
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: devane617

Naked!?? I can’t look


2 posted on 09/18/2008 6:00:30 AM PDT by DeLaine (Socialism is the grandiose rationalization of petty resentments.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devane617
Shouldn't naked short selling be illegal?

Why should anyone be allowed to short a commodity that they do not have control of in the first place?

3 posted on 09/18/2008 6:01:58 AM PDT by pnh102 (Save America - Ban Ethanol Now!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: L,TOWM

ping


4 posted on 09/18/2008 6:02:02 AM PDT by devane617 (Fish died on his Harley when he hit a camel at dusk.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DeLaine

Naked CEOs? Hasn’t the country suffered enough?


5 posted on 09/18/2008 6:02:02 AM PDT by Ladycalif (Free - Ramos and Compean)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: devane617

After being turned down by Obama, Lindsay Lohan has found something she can do.


6 posted on 09/18/2008 6:02:14 AM PDT by AU72
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pnh102

They’re letting it all hang out on this issue.


7 posted on 09/18/2008 6:03:44 AM PDT by MrB (You can't reason people out of a position that they didn't use reason to get into in the first place)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: pnh102

it should be illegal, and it is. but our absent sec looks the other way. the new rule will have little effect if the sec does not pursue the rule-breakers. our economy has been raped by the money grubbers on ws and we are now in a mess.


8 posted on 09/18/2008 6:05:15 AM PDT by devane617 (Fish died on his Harley when he hit a camel at dusk.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: pnh102

Dirty little secert is the SEC & DTCC receive transaction fees, whether the stock is delivered or not.


9 posted on 09/18/2008 6:06:10 AM PDT by stylin19a
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: devane617
"Definition: An investment technique in which an investor sells shares short before actually borrowing the shares or before determining if shares can be borrowed." investor words.

In other words, selling something they don't have. Short selling by itself is shady, this is beyond the pale.

10 posted on 09/18/2008 6:07:58 AM PDT by Moose Burger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devane617
It's nothing more than Obama supporters in high financial places putting sell-off fears in the market. The big 3 auto markers stormed in Pelosi’s office yesterday demanding a $25 billion bailout. It's a game being played to get Obama elected and bailout financial that have bum loans out there to other Obama supporters.
11 posted on 09/18/2008 6:09:15 AM PDT by tobyhill (fraud -noun;(1)deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, (2) Obama)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devane617

Can someone explain to me exactly what shorting is and how one makes money off of it?

My understanding is that you believe the stock will sell lower in the future, but how does that translate into a profit?


12 posted on 09/18/2008 6:11:20 AM PDT by doodad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pnh102

The definition of shorting is that you don’t have the control of the particular security in the first place. You have to borrow it from someone to sell it. The practice of naked shorting is selling the stock without locating the shares to borrow. Technically it’s legal for the brokers (only they can really do this FOR a client), however there have been abuses of it.


13 posted on 09/18/2008 6:14:24 AM PDT by farlander (Try not to wear milk bone underwear - it's a dog eat dog financial world)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: stylin19a

Huh ? SEC gets transaction fees ? When ? Isn’t it a govm’t agency ? Aren’t we already paying their salaries ? This is first time I’ve heard of that.

???


14 posted on 09/18/2008 6:16:07 AM PDT by farlander (Try not to wear milk bone underwear - it's a dog eat dog financial world)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Moose Burger
Short selling by itself is shady

What a load of BS. There is nothing 'shady' about shorting stock that you control.

15 posted on 09/18/2008 6:17:36 AM PDT by xone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Moose Burger

Short selling is not shady. It’s a perfectly valid AND needed tool in the financial markets. You have to have people who bet the stocks can go down in the markets otherwise you don’t have an efficient market for a security.

Naked short selling is an abuse of the power brokers have to serve their customers.


16 posted on 09/18/2008 6:18:23 AM PDT by farlander (Try not to wear milk bone underwear - it's a dog eat dog financial world)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: xone

“Lend them to me, I’ll pay you later” sounds personally shady to me. Sorry if I’m wrong, it’s just me.


17 posted on 09/18/2008 6:23:19 AM PDT by Moose Burger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: devane617

I love this guy. Talk about a maverick!!! McCain/Palin should be talking to him to get the details on the corruption within the SEC. They could use a guy like Patrick Byrne, at least as a consultant in their adminstration.

Patrick Byrne has been fighting for a level playing field for small companies (and their investors) for many years at his own expense. Any advances made are due in no small part to his personall efforts.

Shop Overstock.com!


18 posted on 09/18/2008 6:24:13 AM PDT by SueRae
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: farlander

Yes, it’s valid. I know that. Sorry, I didn’t expect to cause all this noise.


19 posted on 09/18/2008 6:24:31 AM PDT by Moose Burger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: doodad

Short selling is borrowing the stock of a company and then selling it. If it goes up in price, you will lose money as you will have to replace the stock at a higher price. If it goes down, you will make money as you can now replace the borrowed stock at a lower price and keep the difference.

For example:
GE is trading at $23/shr... you borrow someone else’s shares and sell it. You get $23/shr.
If it goes down to $10/shr, you can buy GE on the open market to replace the shares you originally borrowed. The $13/shr difference in your selling and buying price is your profit.

In essence, it’s the inverse of the “buy low, sell high” strategy. In this strategy, you are buying high and selling low. You make money the same way but in the opposite direction.


20 posted on 09/18/2008 6:28:07 AM PDT by pgyanke (Public "servants" have decided it's their job to use the public's money to fight the public)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-82 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson