This is hilarious!

• ^tamago^

  24 Sep 08, 11:25

  SOMEONE out there is licking his wounds after taking an almost $1 million hit after a naked short-selling adventure that went badly wrong. The Singapore Exchange (SGX) yesterday initiated a buy-in for a huge chunk of China Hongxing shares against a short-seller who had dumped the stock last Friday but failed to cover his position before the close of the session. In all, the SGX yesterday bought-in some 13 million shares of the mainboard-listed Chinese sports shoes and accessories maker at around 35.5 cents per share. This was to cover the short sale of an equal amount of shares at around 25 to 27 cents per share during last Friday's session. Besides taking a loss on the price difference, the short-seller also took a hit on the transaction fee of $40 per block transacted, and a higher brokerage rate of 0.75 per cent on the deal. Market insiders reckon the loss could stack up to around $1 million. 'It is just plain stupid for anyone to have engaged in naked short-selling in this kind of a market,' remarked one institutional dealer. 'The least they could have done is to get scrip borrowing facilities lined up before shorting the stock.' No one whom BT contacted could say who Friday's short-seller was, but speculation centres on hedge funds. Intra-day short-selling is quite common on the SGX, and institutions which do overnight short-selling avail themselves of scrip borrowing-lending (SBL) facilities earlier. OCBC Securities has the largest SBL account facility here. What also baffled many market insiders was the fact that the short-selling was done at a historic low price for the stock - something which would have immediately raised eyebrows and attention. China Hongxing, which a year ago was trading at around $1.40, has been on a seemingly inexorable decline over the past 12 months, in tandem with the market. It closed at 33.5 cents yesterday, a two-cent gain, on a volume of 60.4 million.
• whiskers

  24 Sep 08, 11:30

  Sounds like a noob did this... A brave noob... If its really a fund manager who did this then.... Nth to say....

• Rednano

  24 Sep 08, 11:33

   

  SGX STATEMENT

  SGX ENHANCES TRANSPARENCY AND DETERS FAILED SHARE DELIVERY

  22 September 2008 - Despite current market turbulence and global financial uncertainties, trading of securities listed on Singapore Exchange (SGX) has been orderly and settlement has been timely. Nevertheless, SGX would like to enhance existing transparency in the market and to deter failed deliveries.

  Information about naked short positions which result in failure of delivery to CDP would be useful to market participants. Furthermore, cumulative short-selling of individual share securities without the discipline of borrowing to cover delivery obligations, may threaten the orderliness of our market with implications for the integrity of the clearing system. In Singapore, naked short selling which results in failed delivery to CDP are closed-out by buying-in from the market. Buying-in takes place from 11.30am every day.

  With immediate effect, SGX will publish the list of buying-in securities and the volume of shares sought, at 11am every day. Publication will be done via SGXNET and SGX website. This will make dissemination of information more efficient than the present practice of having the information relayed through brokers who participate in the buying-in market.

  After completion of buying-in, SGX will publish the list of securities bought-in (which includes individual counters), the volume and dollar-value at 8:30 am the following business day.

  In addition to the current processing fee for buying-in of $30 per contract, there will be a penalty of 5% of the value of the failed trade subject to a minimum of $1,000. This penalty will take effect for trades executed from Thursday 25 September 2008 onwards. The fee will be reviewed from time to time to assess its effectiveness.

  Market participants must not short-sell in the buying-in market as it runs counter to the objective of buying-in. Accordingly, any failure to deliver shares in the buying-in market may be liable to penalty of $50,000 and/or disbarment from participating in the buying-in market. This will take effect from Thursday, 25 September 2008.

  The measures introduced today will be reviewed after a month. SGX remains vigilant in maintaining the orderly functioning of the market and safe efficient clearing.

  - End -

• ^tamago^

  24 Sep 08, 22:51

  whoa SGX also come out and say things liao :lol:
• Rednano

  24 Sep 08, 22:53

  On 22nd September 2008, SGX issued a circular imposing a penalty on non-delivery of share. The penalty will be S$1000 or 5% of the value of the failed trade, whichever is higher. This is in addition to the processing fee of S$30 per contract imposed on all failed trades. The penalty will take effect for trades executed from Thursday, 25 September 2008 onwards.
  
  For failed trade in the buying-in market, non-delivery of shares may be subject to penalty of S$50,000 and/or disbarment from participating in the buying-In market. This measure will take effect from Thursday, 25 September 2008.
  
  To enhance transparency in the market and to deter failed deliveries, SGX is publishing the list of buying-in securities and the volume of shares sought, at 11am every day from 23 September 2008 onwards. Publication will be done via SGXNET and SGX website. After completion of buying-in, SGX will publish the list of securities bought-in (which includes individual counters), the volume and dollar-value at 8:30 am the following business day.
  
  More details is available on SGX website