RE:RE:2.5% of the float is in a short positionWabbit, someone who works in the securities industry could explain it to you better than me. But let me give it a shot:
Page 27 of the final prospectus says "the Agents [Dundee et al] may effect transactions intended to stabilize or maintain the market price of the Common Shares at a level other than that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Such transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time."
But also on page 27, it says "the Agents may not, throughout the period of distribution under this Prospectus, bid for or purchase Common shares for their own account or for accounts over which it exercises control or direction" (i.e. wealth managment accounts).
Now read about the mechanism an investment banker uses to do price or market stabilization activitiies. You can find this short article in Wikipedia at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenshoe
I struggle to understand this, but it says roughly that the lead manager would prefer the shares to trade above the price of the units to induce people to subscribe to the units instead of buying in the open market. If the price in the market falls below the offer price, the lead manager will make trades to push it back up. Not said in the article is they may not want the price to go to much above the offer price. Otherwise the OSC/TSX may start asking questions about why the offer price needed to be so low. Remember, final approval is still not received from the TSX during this trading period. The result of all this buying and selling by the lead manager can create a large short position. They don't actuall borrow the stock when selling short because they have the "Over-Allotment Option" discussed in note 4 on the second (un-numbered) page at the front of the prospectus. This 15% over-allotment is called a "Greenshoe Option" and is used to close out what would otherwise be a naked short position.
15% of 21,800,000 units offered is 3,270,000 units. 2.5% of the entire float of 143 million shares is 3.6 million shares.
So there are likely very few shares that have been borrowed in creating this large reported short position in the stock. And the guy selling it back down from 31 cents to 26 cents was likely the lead manager Dundee (aka Anonymous).
As soon as they finish tidying up the book and handling the people who backed out of the offer, Dundee may take it off price stabilization. I suspect it doesn't end just because the offer is now closed.
Is there anyone out there who works in the securities industry who can tell us when we will trade normally again? Sumweyyunguy, help us here.