Agree with all you say, but short positions as window dressing are quite common. Keep in mind, since the advent of the cyberworld and digital trading , the concept of "wash trading" (dealing with a common economic interest to create the illusion of arms length activity) no longer exists. It amazes me how much is made of so-called "short positions" by posters to retail stock forums , obviously in the belief that retail holders can be frightened/aggravated off positions by the thought of shorters !. Nobody in their right mind as you point out actually goes economically short on a stock that could triple on a single news piece. If I had one solid recommendation for Agoracom , it would be to segregate all Short related posts into a separate topic post, with a caution that "What you read in these posts may be observations about pure illusion".