As it turns out, Brokers might say “they’re not lending your shares.” and then they may proceed to lend shares that may or may not be yours.

Which, depending on how your shares are accounted for, your shares might be in some Omni-bus arrangement of shares. So it’s not technically yours being lent.

Perhaps your shares are kept in the CNS system and being lent out from the total amount of shares credited to your broker. Technically they’re not lending out your shares. Can you prove it’s your shares being lent?

Or perhaps it’s not your broker doing the lending;

It’s legal wording;

Meaning that the Brokers could be lending your shares, even in cash accounts. Even retirement accounts. Especially pensions, and especially Teacher’s Pension funds.

Yea.

Riveting.

So Brokers could tell you a lie without it being legally a lie. Brokers are definitely not your friend.

Also,

Brokers might use your shares for locates.

Meaning the Broker might say that they have X available shares to short with, giving other people the ability to use those locates in case these traders need to borrow them. Those X shares may or may not contain your shares. Technically if the traders never borrow, your shares were never lent.

So they aren’t lending your share, but they’re still profiting off of your share. Because they get some money for providing locates to their other clients that aren’t you. You’re more of a product anyway. A nuisance really.

That’s what you get with the current stock market as a ‘Beneficial Owner’ in ‘street name’.

In Closing,

If there’s one thing that amazes me, it’s that Wall Street’s Degeneracy is near fathomless. I’m quite impressed.

I highly recommend reading my Article on Naked Shorting,

And this other article on Brokers not being your friends.

Other than that, remember that Brokers are not your friends.

Ciao.

*Not Valid Financial, Legal, Life, or Any Advice