Quote from nitro:
Angrycat,
I have no problem with any particular security (ies) going to zero, unless allowing it would cause a domino effect that can have catastrophic ramifications on the entire system. I believe this is one of those times.
nitro
Nitro,
First, the short interest in the original 799 was only 6%. You're an options market maker, so I know you're good at math. How can a 6% interest drive down the stocks?
Second, if they were serious about not shorting, then they would not have capitulated on the exemptions for options market makers. As an options market maker, you could have just refused to make markets sans the exemptions (legally, the SEC couldn't touch you because it was the one that breached the contract first). That would have put even less downward pressure on the stocks.
Third, if the SEC wants to stop stocks from going down it should have set a lower limit (an explicit price control) or stopped everyone from selling or closed the markets entirely.
fourth, any stock going to zero has follow on effects because it usually has implications for all companies in a particular industry and all industries connected to that industry. If We have a system so fragile that it can't handle any failure, then perhaps the problem is the system and not price discovery.
This was a political play by the SEC and it resulted in a lot of economic rent for market makers and screwed customers. Stocks will go down because longs no longer want to hold something they think is overvalued. Unless all selling is suspended, stocks will continue to decline if longs think their holdings are now overvalued. Pakistan banned all shorting and its market dropped an additional 25%. It happened here as well. I don't pretend to know your motives, but I did notice that you suddenly changed your tune about the SEC rules when the SEC gave you back your options market maker exemption.
I think that you understand that the only effect this has had on the market is to widen spreads and introduce volatility. In other words, this has given options market makers a license to rape customers.