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An Update on Market Volatility

blog.robinhood.com

51–60 of 137 posts

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#51
post #25

I don't understand how they can blame capital requirements and potentially having to cover customers' losses (that was Interactive Brokers) for stopping purchases of the stock. Unless you're talking about buying on margin, there's no risk that you'd have to absorb any loss for someone who just buys a share of the stock through you with their own cash.

Also in the event that everything is true and straightforward, why wouldn't they say that at the start (and through the whole day)

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#53
post #25

I don't understand how they can blame capital requirements and potentially having to cover customers' losses (that was Interactive Brokers) for stopping purchases of the stock. Unless you're talking about buying on margin, there's no risk that you'd have to absorb any loss for someone who just buys a share of the stock through you with their own cash.

>Unless you're talking about buying on margin I can assure you, there was a lot of margin purchases happening.

but the actions were taken against all buy orders, not only buys on margin.

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#54
post #25

I don't understand how they can blame capital requirements and potentially having to cover customers' losses (that was Interactive Brokers) for stopping purchases of the stock. Unless you're talking about buying on margin, there's no risk that you'd have to absorb any loss for someone who just buys a share of the stock through you with their own cash.

>Unless you're talking about buying on margin I can assure you, there was a lot of margin purchases happening.

Sure, but why are they using that as an explanation for shutting down all trading, including that not on margin?

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Unless you're talking about buying on margin I can assure you, there was a lot of margin purchases happening.

Then why not do what TD did and restrict buying on margin? Why tell everyone on your platform that a "stock isn't supported"?

I am imagining their platform isn't that robust and it was the easiest way they had to shut it down temporarily.

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#56
I don't understand all the kerfuffle.

I'm from EU and was looking into investing earlier into Nasdaq symbols, iow before my bank decides to bother letting me pick some crumbs from their plate.

So I look around and I figure that what you can do on these online trading platform is to buy some glass-beads from them that happen to correspond to IRL stocks. IOW, these folks are data-mining user sentiment to place orders while offloading risk.

Isn't it the same with RH? Aren't they just saying "you can play along, just not with these beads. Too risky for us." Or is RH a straightforward stock broker?

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#57
post #30
post #8

If it was decided that most people could only sell stock, not buy it - who exactly is buying the stock?

It was blocked in Robinhood's UI, but on the back end the hedge funds could trade at will. And the hedge funds had to buy a lot of stock to cover their shorts, so it was handy to get the retail buyers out of the way.

I would be rather surprised if there are serious hedge funds that buy stock using Robinhood’s backend.

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#58
> limited buys of these securities

People invest due to variety of reasons. Speculation, undervalue, overvalued, etc. This does not seem like an open market if people cannot buy and sell at their own risk.

Sudden changes to what is allowed in the market could also cause some unknown shift to how it works. If things are let to be, at least, at some time, things will settle down ... whether that takes a few days, weeks, years, decades. I think that is how the market works. There appears to be added controlling factors into the market.

I would rather be with a brokerage where I can make my own decisions. Not one that suddenly controls what can and cannot be done.

TD & Robinhood restricts certain trades: https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/robinhood-app-td-ameri...

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#59
post #9

This was an awful PR response. I actually buy the reasoning behind it - but putting out a corporate speak like this instead of trying to emotionally relate to upset users? Smh

"We are deeply grateful to our users" is about to get memed to the moon.

Just like "we are bullshitting but look at our smile". And there is a way to present a facet of the reality while clouding another one so I'm not saying their message is a complete lie, it's just taken from a controlled perspective.

Re: An Update on Market Volatility

#60
post #25

I don't understand how they can blame capital requirements and potentially having to cover customers' losses (that was Interactive Brokers) for stopping purchases of the stock. Unless you're talking about buying on margin, there's no risk that you'd have to absorb any loss for someone who just buys a share of the stock through you with their own cash.

> Unless you're talking about buying on margin, there's no risk that you'd have to absorb any loss for someone who just buys a share of the stock through you with their own cash.

The thing is, clearing houses expect collateral up front.

It's not a risk issue between Robinhood and its clients, its a risk issue between the clearing house and Robinhood.

I'm not saying that this what actually happened, I'm just saying that the presented argument has plausible elements.

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