"Under our Modified Uptick Rule, short selling can only be initiated at a price above the highest prevailing national bid by posting a quote for a short sale order priced above the national bid. As such, the execution of a short sale would occur only at a higher price than the prevailing market at the time of initiation, and only on a passive basis (i.e., short sales cannot hit bids)."
I'm not sure I get this. It sounds like the old uptick rule, except for the part I underlined, which I don't understand. If a stock is at $20, and I'm willing to short it down to $19, I should be able to sit on the offer and get hit all the way down to $19, right?
The 10% rule is bull. It's a daytrader's dream. Pound a stock down and then cover when it nears the -10% mark. Pound it down, squeeze it up, rinse, repeat.
I say bring back the original uptick rule. And half of my trades are shorts. Stocks decline quicker than they rise, because fear is a stronger emotion than greed. The uptick rule balances things out.