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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Hi, you mention short interest from time to time. Using MTTR as an example, you say that short interest is very high at 15%. I assume this is a negative as there are a lot of shorts (or shares short) that want to drive the price down. However, some view this as a positive as any good news can force all the shorts to cover. There are also different views on days to cover. MTTR shows 6 days. Some view higher numbers, such as 10, as positive as it means there could be a sustained rally if the shorts have to spread out their buying over a longer period rather than a quick spike.

What short interest levels and number of days to cover do you view as being positive or negative influences on a stock price?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Dave on August 18, 2022
Q: I would like an ETF to take advantage of the pull back in tech stocks. I generally like the holdings of XIT except for the huge position in CSU (I bought some anyway because I've always been wrong on CSU). Its a small position which I would like to build on but I would also like to add some US exposure - preferably CAD since I don't feel like exchanging more funds right now. Suggestions?

Also, what is your current opinion of PTF? I only recognize a few of their holdings and have no idea how to assess, apart from noting their reasonably good history.

Read Answer Asked by Peter on February 03, 2022
Q: When the Gamestop frenzy was active Wednesday the market dropped 600 points. When it was restricted Thursday the market recovered. Now the market is plunging again. Is this mere coincidence or are funds which have to cover their shorts being forced to dump shares in other stocks on the market in order to get the cash to buy gamestop? In other words, how much of the fall the last few days is due to the actions of the reddit gang?
Read Answer Asked by John on February 01, 2021
Q: Hi Peter,

How do you see the hedge funds unwinding their position? All the data says that there is still over 100% short interest.. if "the people" don't sell and keep buying it will drive the price/daily margin calls higher and higher until they are bankrupt (and they are already probably close due to the $2.75B injection Melvin had to get, which was before the price was as high as it is now and is probably all gone).

But if they start unwinding the massive short position it will just squeeze them harder. Am I missing something? What do you think their plan is here? Are they all calling each other saying "don't unwind we need to hold off?" Seems like a big game of chicken and the masses are not backing down - people were already pissed off before hand, but I think people got extremely enraged on that day the retail guy for restricted and could only sell but the hedge funds could trade freely.

I think they were already on the brink and it would have been game over if robinhood didn't restrict trading that day last week. But even now they only allow 1 share to be bought. If it wasn't for the restrictions "the squeeze would have be squoze" they say! What do you see as likely scenarios for this ending?
Read Answer Asked by Max on February 01, 2021
Q: How long of notice do these short squeezed companies have to give to issue new shares and shore up the balance sheet? If AMC was to issue new shares at the elevated price it would be a win for them. I see executives are cashing shares in - why not? I would.
Read Answer Asked by Terry on February 01, 2021
Q: I just read one person claiming that he turned 50k into 11 million trading this stock. (probably fake news).But if it goes the other way, how does this retail gambler pay back an 11 million dollar loss when he's only got 50k in the bank?And how does the winner get their money from robinhood or whomever? the amount of margin required ,would astronomical for this retail trader.Hedge funds at least,can sell other stocks which drives other asset values lower.It seems someone is going to get a beating.
Read Answer Asked by adam on January 29, 2021
Q: Gents,
Your thoughts on the GameStop situation.
With the success of the Robinhood + Reddit influencers, how does one put pure speculative momentum trading back in the bottle? It feels like an OTC chat board on steroids' that self perpetuates. Other examples like AMC, BB and FR (today).
Some CEO's may even embrace this activity.
A sidebar question, what would happen if a Company had an approved ATM financing in place and fed into the mob?
Just thinking out load...
Thanks.
G
Read Answer Asked by Geoffrey on January 29, 2021
Q: Apologies for the dumb question, but the craziness over these short squeezes has introduced me to new ideas I don't fully understand.
1. I didn't realize I could instruct my broker not to permit my shares to be borrowed by short-sellers. But how can I lend out a share to a short-seller if I'm holding the stock the entire time? I don't plan to sell my 100 shares of LSPD anytime soon, so how can I lend it to a short-seller?
2. Can't all shareholders instruct their brokers not to permit borrowing of their shares? If so, would'nt that restrict the ability of short-sellers to short a stock? It seems like reducing the ability of short-sellers to short a stock I own would be good for the stock price.

Thanks
Michael
Read Answer Asked by Michael on January 29, 2021
Q: In your opinion how will these short squeeze situations affect the markets going forward? Will we never see such a large percentage of the float being shorted again? Surely any company that experiences a 100% float will be the next target of a reddit campaign.

It could also be looked at from the other side. Any company with a high percentage of shares sold short could experience buyers trying to preemptively predict reddit forums from doing it first. Has this situation permanently changed short selling?
Read Answer Asked by Brett on January 28, 2021
Q: This one is for Peter, since I understand hedge funds were once your bailiwick?

I know little-to-nothing about hedge funds and how they operate, so watching these huge swings happening on the markets lately and people covering shorts (whatever that means) ... I'm very curiously concerned about the overall impact this will have on the markets? Does the common sense investor bail out of Nasdaq stocks, for instance, for the moment, until everything settles down? There is no rhyme or reason to what is happening with many stocks and it would be horrible to be caught in the crossfire just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I would appreciate Peter's perspective re: how to handle the US part of the portfolio at the moment.

Thanks, as always, for your great advice!

Read Answer Asked by Sylvia on January 27, 2021