RE:RE:kicking and screaming I do not think it is the short position that matters unless it is like 10,000,000 shares out of 33 million. If the stock turns, slowly, a short position I believe can only come about from an up-tick trade. At least when I was a floor trader:
" The uptick rule states that you cannot sell a stock short on a down tick. You must wait until the price of the stock you are looking to sell short has an uptick before you can enter your trade. In theory, this rule is supposed to reduce dramatic bear runs on stocks that are fueled by short sellers."
as per google
So, say profits start to turn, stock buyback, div increase, all of the above, and people start to push the stock higher, each time on the uptick many more are then sold short.
This is when it starts to take hold and forces more shorting, however, the tide has turned, then and only then do they start to panic and have to cover their positions or risk huge losses.
Talking about the SHORTS is a waste of time unless in the right market for the longs:
One question I have though, is when the dividend is paid, do they cover the dividend too? so if the dividend went up to 10c all of a sudden that could eat into any potential profits at some point in the future. I knew this but some may need to know:
"If an investor is short a stock on record date, he is not entitled to the dividend. In fact, he is responsible for paying the dividend to the lender of the stock. Investorsshort a stock if they expect it to decline in value. Shorting a stock is essentiallyselling it and then buying it back at a future price."
CNN reported the wrong numbers for China and the US percentage of World GNP this morning, but at 34 trillion dollars for 2018 it is almost equal to the rest of the world. If they stop trading with each other then it won't be good.