April 24, 2022
When broken down, this proposed rule change is CLEARLY designed to protect institutions/individuals from the natural consequences of unconscionable and/or ILLEGAL activity in the stock market, specifically the engagement in synthetic share/naked short transactions, which have been used to artificially suppress and manipulate stock prices. This activity protects large and powerful entities from losses due to their own poor investments, an advantage that common retail investors dont enjoy. The common retail investor can lose everything and the regulatory agencies do not seem to care, while the large and powerful hedge funds always seem to have the safety net of nefarious rule changes or bailouts. But as millions of us are now learning, retail losses are sometimes not even due to poor investment choices, but rather we are merely victims of corrupt and illegal stock market practices being committed by hedge funds, market makers, brokers, etc. And this time, we are watching. If retail investors are not properly represented and protected moving forward, our voices WILL be heard around the world, and this could have a negative impact on the markets as a whole moving forward.
Another thought to consider: Time itself is linear, but history is cyclical. What happens when the haves have taken away too much from the have-nots? What happens when corrupt practices are allowed to expand to the degree that no faith remains in system? ( fall of Rome) The governed are not owned subjects and the wheels of justice grind slowly. All of this sets a dangerous precedent that the rules are not applied equally or fairly enforced. The money made by institutions will not be equal to the damage done by retail turning its back on the system.