Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Greece, South Korea Ban Short-Selling: Let’s Hope It Doesn’t Spread

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tdp2664 InvestorPlace Short-selling seems kind of sinister. After all, it allows an investor to make money when a stock price falls. In fact, throughout history, governments have periodically banned short-selling. Napoleon outlawed it in his Napoleonic Code. And the U.S. imposed its first ban in 1812 (it was certainly a bad year). So in light of the recent market plunge across the globe, it's a good bet we'll see some bans like the one recently announced by both Greece and South Korea. Greece's ban – which starts on Tuesday – could last for two months, though it could be lifted sooner. South Korea imposed a three-month ban. Basically, these are ridiculous moves. Hey, why not also ban selling as well? Or perhaps just mandate that prices not fall below a certain point? There is a reason we have markets: they are highly efficient in allocating capital. Unfortunately, Greece's performance has offered few reasons for investors to get optimistic, so its leaders decided to make adjustments intended to stabilize the market. The market regulator in South Korea, meanwhile, is worried about diminishing global demand for the country's exports. The thing is, short-selling is necessary for any modern stock exchange. It allows for better management of order flow for traders. Short selling is also a great tool to hedge positions.



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