Alan Kohler in Eureka report today said:
"Isignthis (ISX.ASX)This is a very weird situation, and either heralds a much tougher stance by the ASX on high-flyers, or the humiliation of the ASX. On September 10, proxy firm Ownership Matters released a negative report on Isignthis, which had gone from 15c to $1.60 since the start of the year. The company operates a Know Your Customer (KYC) platform for European banks and I interviewed the CEO, John Karantzis, in March, when the stock was 25c. On September 11 and 12, ISX fell 44% to 90c. On October 7, the ASX suspended trading and it remains suspended today, having last traded at $1.07.The ASX sent 40 questions to ISX and they have all been answered.
The company has now taken the ASX to the Federal Court to force reinstatement.
The defence statement is due in January. [Preliminary hearing on 5Feb2020 unless settled before] After the Ownership Matters report hit there was a lot of shorting of the stock, in fact, CommSec reports that it was the second most heavily traded stock on its platform during this period after BHP – which is surprising to say the least since it is tightly held and illiquid.If this gets to court, it will be an important case.
Did the Ownership Matters report have anything to do with short-sellers? (I know the people there and find it hard to believe, but that question is being asked.)
What is the basis of the suspension?
If the ASX loses, is it open to a class action?
If it wins, what does that mean for other high-flyers?
I’ll be very surprised if it gets to court though."
