So what happens when WSBers realize that they can go the other way and also short a company over 100% into a bankruptcy? Are corporate raids/hostile takeovers next?
Why would they do that? Their entire mission was predicated on putting firms who short companies out of business. These hedge funds that make money by betting against corporate America add nothing to society. Absolutely nothing. I applaud what they are doing wholeheartedly.
It should not be possible to short 145% More shorts than there are actual stocks available to buy.
That is no high risk gambling but market manipulation plain and simple.
Now that everyone know what "shortning a stock" is, look into which stocks were shorted right before 9/11
More importantly who shorted them
This is the disease of recent years. paraphrasing, "If you expose yourself to large risk, it should be banned."
But, If someone wishes to risk all their capital on 100x leverage, or shorting at 150% of float, as long as the risk is covered so nobody else is at risk, then this should be entire your own responsibility and is perfectly acceptable to me.
These aren't kids, they know exactly what they are doing, just like we do, so keep the state out of individuals affairs and let people take responsibility for their own actions.,
The Wall Street Scammers are not bad because they do crazy shit like this, they are bad because they rig the game. The rules they play by are not the same rules everyone else plays by - everyone like to win, but nobody likes a cheat.