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Nern Sasi Comment On Regulatory Notice 21-19

Nern Sasi
N/A

I would like to point out two proposals that I absolutely think must be accepted. The others are still very good to increase accountability and reestablish some semblance of trust. "Synthetic Short Positions: In addition, FINRA is considering requiring firms to reflect synthetic short positions in short interest reports. For example, enhanced short interest reporting could include synthetic short positions achieved through the sale of a call option and purchase of a put option (where the options have the same strike price and expiration month) or through other strategies. FINRA believes this information would assist FINRA in understanding the scope of market participants’ short sale activity, specifically regarding the use of less-traditional means of establishing short interest." This has to be implemented, there is no other way to put it. Shorting is extremely rarely ever done by retail investors, and as retail investors we are at the mercy of hedge funds who decide what stocks they short for their own profits. This will and has caused the loss of thousands of livelihoods around the world. There HAS to be increased accountability about how short selling is done so that current and future retail investors can make better informed decisions. "Total Shares Outstanding (TSO) and Public Float: FINRA also is considering including in FINRA-disseminated short interest data, where available, the TSO and public float for securities. FINRA would obtain this information from a third-party source and include it in disseminated information; therefore, this change would not alter firms’ reporting requirements. FINRA believes disseminating a security’s TSO and public float would provide investors with contextual information regarding the relative size of the aggregate short position in the security." This is simply a matter of fairness. Brokerages and other large institutions have access to this data, so why can't the retail investor. If you truly want to create a stock market that reflects the principles of capitalism, even out the playing field and let the smartest people win. The cards are stacked against the retail investor, and knowing how much power we have via TSO and float gives us a chance to actually make a difference to benefit our lives. I'll keep it simple: If you can ask yourself "would this benefit a retail investor?" or "would this reduce the advantage large market players have?" then whatever the corresponding policy is MUST be accepted. It is truly ridiculous, unfathomable, and utterly disgusting that such a system that benefits the powerful has been in place for so long. You are about to witness the collapse of millions of people's trust in these stock markets. It is inevitable given the unprecedented manipulation that has been witnessed, particularly with $AMC and $GME. This is your chance to soften the blow and give us retail investors a reason to continue to invest our money. Otherwise, when the squeeze happens for these stocks, that money will never be reinvested into one of the backbones of the corporate world. I'm extremely pessimistic that anything will be done by FINRA to encourage fairness in the market. Prove me wrong.