Just my observations andy and I have traded to accumulate at...

Just my observations andy and I have traded to accumulate at times. Other times one thinks the charade is over and wow left field another SPP to accommodate them again and again it continues.
There are different goals to shorting/hedging I have observed along with the disgraceful strategies employed well..... The standard shorting is a simple method - technique and in many instances in which the insto's see a sector or any given companies they will target such and they have their criteria such as highish SOI for just one example. When they identify and their research and strategy on targets begin to materialize over a period they continue to increase their short position and many charts display such - a usual even increase of short position over what can be years - sure some declines along the way however rarely do we see institutions shorting being burned as in the past - they are way to resourceful these days and have strategies to limit such - to long a time but I am sure people could look at PLS for example and see how open and transparent that is all on lithium spod pricing - when the prices tick up again the insto's will be first to know and begin to decrease their position. Lynas is the same - recent uptick in RE pricing saw a drop in short positions.

The other institutional shorting and I may be wrong here with ARU is shorting to accumulate. Look at when it started - who was involved - what they were told to contribute in a large SPP to what the market was being told and then the obvious what happened. ECE gone and the company new this some time before the market was advised - but also a key to that was ECE were going to dump on the market - well our new SPP insto new that and with a lofty high SP and full knowledge the market did not have in that ARU were never positioned to deliver an FID March last year as advised to the market - simply because as we now know the company was going on a new path - a very long path to secure off takes and finances etc - the insto initiates a shorting bender that continues today - but the difference is they have made a motza on 3 occasions now and be that in paper or by huge increase in holding (of course hidden away under other entities that any increase in holding announcement requirement is not going to happen).
So who's involved and when it started - how do they get it so right on 3 occasions and counting (who's loaning the shares to the who is the insto - disguise) - the very large volumes at multiples of 3 huge wins and continuing then what is their end game plan. I believe to have a very large holding in ARU for very soon when the company does progress to commissioning - production etc then make a motza on the way down and a killing on the way back up. Or perhaps I'm wrong and they have turned it into paper profits each time and ARU are

Of course this is not a regular occurrence but one would be naive to not contemplate such. The companies need institutional support or - as with many companies their projects never get realized. The insto's come on board at times of need and receive a premium discount for sure - but they can also receive much more.

ARU have a ways to go - well an FID and terms of finance - off takes etc is a company positive changer. Yet there are still challenges ahead on the construction time and CAPEX parameters - then the production efficiencies OPEX and ramping to full scale and of course product pricing at that time - then further growth and debt payback etc. The gov loan is a masterstroke in its structure to get to full production - the boards performance related shares as Birch advised is more than reasonable.

In the wash shareholders - we all want more and want it now. Like I suggested performance rights at SP targets achieved - we want more progress - less missed guidance - more news flow and the list goes on. Many shareholders get dismayed on the lack of such and instead of trying to understand more - and in the case of ARU there are a host of complexities - from international financiers - off takers - to the complexities of building a RE refinery/separation plant for which very, very few have done outside of China. 20 something years ARU to get to today - the next few years will be very enjoyable and the decades after if one has time on their side - but not without challenges - and of course doubters - I just hope it stays in our hands and does not get taken out soon after commissioning when all the risk - heavy lifting has been done and the real sp value arrives. The resource is of significant value - soon the IP value will be realized and away we go just as Lynas did - however we have far fewer challenges and the hindsight of their early commissioning challenges to observe and learn much for a hopeful fast track to full production.