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Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

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Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#681

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The head of NASDAQ even suggested a Tradimg Halt so institutions can adjust to combat retail investors better!

We're close to reaching a "let them have cake" point of elite arrogance.

More like "Let them have shortcake". This is absolutely ridiculous.

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#683

Trading stocks is not the 1st amendment where we basically say we don’t really care about the outcome of your speech (as an individual). Say what you want even if its dumb and hurts you. With capital markets...there absolutely is a goal, and it’s not speculation/gambling. The goal is to have a place where corporations can raise capital and investors can hold them accountable for how they return value to them...and th…

to the extent that the market needs speculators, I think it is part of the "goal" of capital markets. a market of only long-term risk-averse allocators wont have the liquidity necessary to create fair prices nor is it likely to attract as much capital when companies issue shares, as a market that has a "healthy" amount of speculation.

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#684

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can someone help me understand Robinhood's POV? Robinhood is a margin-lending options-trading broker. If a customer falls down on a trade, it is ultimately liable. If a retail customer loses money and makes a FINRA complaint that Robinhood induced them to buy through its gameified interface, it is liable. Risk and compliance likely made this call. Also, Robinhood makes its revenue from market makers. They are the c…

This is most likely the answer. They are taking on a lot of risk allowing this type of trading behavior. They likely don't have suitable risk infrastructure developed to feel like they have a handle on it, so they shut it down.

If it was the answer, then RH could have instead only forbidden margin trades and restricted to cash.

Additionally, other retail brokers selling to Citadel Capital have done the exact same (Schwab comes to mind, but not only).

Other brokers however (fidelity), have not. If the short squeeze is to happen tomorrow, this seems an unlikely coincidence that those retail brokers affiliated with Citadel Capital tool positions that would ultimately deflate the stock.

I don't see how GP can assure that no short sellers is behind those moves.

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#685
post #50

99.99% (or more) of people who buy lotteries, lose ALL their money. However, government allows anyone to buy them. There is no meaningful restriction for an assured destruction of wealth for most of those who buy them. While this GME/AMC run will not end well for many people, restricting people from buying those stocks - whether it is through actions of trading platforms or governing agencies - smacks not just of pat…

99.99% of people who buy lotteries know it's a gamble rather than a moneymaking strategy. Nobody is advising people buying lottery tickets that they should borrow money to buy as many of them as possible because they will make a nice easy profit at the expense of the rich. It's often said lotteries are a tax on people that don't understand probability, but at least people playing don't think they're doing arbitrage.

And governments often do restrict other forms of gambling associated with more problematic losses. There are those who would like them more restrictions on it, and those who would like fewer, but at least the latter group don't argue that without loosening gambling laws, the little guy doesn't stand a chance of wealth improvement.

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#686
post #159

As I understand it, the hedge funds had naked shorts. That's illegal. If they did, what is happening to them serves them right. Even if they didn't, a "short squeeze" is perfectly legal. If the short sellers think the stock is overpriced, and there's others that think its underpriced, then both sides are placing their bets and will deal with the result, either by making or losing a lot of money. This is not a "pump a…

There is no evidence to indicate they had naked shorts. They were most likely short, but not naked short.

The short interest was above 100%, so there was naked shorting going on, although no direct evidence linking it to hedge funds (but they would've been most of the short float, so probably yes).

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#687
I don't understand what these investors do, I don't think it makes sense for most of them and I would advice against it.

However, the whole point of Robinhood is to allow people to buy the stocks they want.

Would they also have stopped people buying Tesla a few years ago? This has proven to be right bet. However given r/teslainvestorsclub strongly pushing for the stock, could be interpreted as the same thing.

Robinhood seems to just decide who can be a winner.

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#688
post #575

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While what you say is plausible, can't it also simply be that they saw a gigantic portion of their userbase making these incredibly risky bets and they were worried that it'd end up blowing in their face?

That doesn't make any sense because they still allowed them to sell, realizing a loss. Why not stop buying and selling?

This right here. Only allowing sells appears to be blatantly anti-retail investor, intended to help drive down prices for those with short positions needing to be closed.

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#689

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so true. It's all connected. It's probable that Reddit, Discord, RobinHood have all received calls to disrupt retail traders from political players or financial backers. There's no evidence of this, the truth is we'll never know, but how its most obvious reason. If only RobinHood would live up to its namesake. It is alarming that "soft" circuit breakers are being used to target retail traders on exchanges. I…

When Wall Street is making billions off of selling balloon interest mortgages with no income verification the position is "The consumer is an adult and can make decisions for themselves and read the fine print.... blah blah blah .. personal responsibility." When the people are causing Wall Street to lose billions on their absurdly large short position, suddenly they are concerned for the "amateur" investors. The "uns…

Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor.

Re: Robinhood is limiting purchases of stocks: AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and GameStop

#690
post #457

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so true. It's all connected. It's probable that Reddit, Discord, RobinHood have all received calls to disrupt retail traders from political players or financial backers. There's no evidence of this, the truth is we'll never know, but how its most obvious reason. If only RobinHood would live up to its namesake. It is alarming that "soft" circuit breakers are being used to target retail traders on exchanges. I…

I look forward to the investigations on market manipulation that RH, Schwann, and TD did by not allowing their customers to trade on that stock. Or is it normal for brokers to independently halt trades on stocks they deem too risky?

Are they really going to be investigated? Like honestly.
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