get it. You would have to be a proffessional, or very experienced investor (having been in the trenches somehow) to understand this. Very little shorting is going on at these levels, just the manipulation of the "hampster wheel" where MM's for the shorts just sell, then buy right back a little later. It's the "protecting" of ones short position that is done once the stock has been "whacked down." After all the shorting/selling, now they'll have to cover. There is a term used in the industry amongst traders, called a "terminal short" where the bad guys hope the little company will go bankrupt and then the shorts never have to cover and even better for them is they "never" have to pay taxes on their gains because it's done in a "margin account" and is accounted for a credit. Now do you understand this, or shall I continue. What is it that you do know about shorts? Happy to help. mguru