Matthew: My understanding is that brokers and analysts are allowed to post on any board, provided that they make sure their compliance departments get copies of their posts. There is nothing inherently wrong with it. I know I have seen many people posting who identify themselves as brokers, analysts or market makers.
As to your statement "The first amendment does nor guarentee the write to lie or use insider information" (I love your spelling) I would presume you are against companies lying to puff up their stock, or is that all right, as long as you own some?
And how in the world could a outside bear on a company have any inside information? Did you think that IAIC, for example, was telling Hedgy1 insider information? If so, shouldn't you be angry at management for telling Hedgy1 things that they didn't tell you?
My feeling, as one who is neither long nor short, but just interested in checking out the stock, is that Hedgy1, whoever he or she is, did an excellent job of ferreting out information that management would prefer people not know. Rather than come up with a good refutation of Hedgy1's arguments, the company's operatives realized that it had to silence all criticism.
You can silence critics, but if they are right, you will have lost the advantage of their superior insight. That might make you feel good for a while, thinking that nothing is wrong with your stock, but then you will be scratching your head not knowing why when it collapses.
Isn't it better to face criticism and try to refute it, than hide from it? |
