The shorts have become the target 4) The shorts have become the target. Once upon a time, short-selling firms would unveil a new position to great anticipation and attention (if not acclaim). The current scrum over Gamestop — in which retail traders have gone head-to-head with short-selling firm Citron — suggests that might become a thing of the past. As Scott Nations at Nations Indexes points out: "The old game of shorting a stock then putting out a negative report is done. From now on that will just be the signal to start a massive short squeeze." A hedge fund or short-seller advertising a bet against a stock might now be the equivalent of waving a red flag to r/wallstreetbets' herd of bulls: a signal to charge in with call options and force a move higher. The predators have turned prey.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-01-25/five-things-you-need-to-know-to-start-your-day-kkd7nn2u
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