It's not an SEC rule. It's effective on the London exchange and I believe it only affects financial stocks. Immediately on doing this financials rallied as they're guessing that something similar will happen in the US.
Of course, no one seems to think it's unfair that you apply rules to one sector and not another.
I'm hearing a guy on CNBC now who is describing these shorters as predators and with total disdain. He's blaming hedge funds.
Now, doesn't GS have a hedge fund division? Didn't Bear Stearns have a massive hedge fund that collapsed last year, which started all this? Give me a break. The predators are being preyed on by their own kind. They're getting what they deserve. Had they just stuck with shorting Gold or Gold stocks they were saviors fighting inflation and protecting "king dollar'.