At the outset, I do not disagree that short selling is having a...

At the outset, I do not disagree that short selling is having
a very negative impact on the proper functioning of stock markets
all over the world. At the same time we need to guard against throwing
the baby out with the bath water.

When I first began investing around 1970 the only action available to
an investor who was not happy with how a CEO or Board was running
a company was to sell their shares or just publicly complain. The impact
of those actions was negligible on the behavior of those bad CEO's or Boards.
There was a true need to provide disgruntled shareholders with a tool.
Short selling was that mechanism. When done by multiple big players,
it causes a substantial reduction in the stock price thereby shinning
a bright light on Management.

Imho, the shorting of Pilbara is happening for one of two reasons.
First, as many here believe, it is simply a blatant manipulation under
a false flag that the market is now and will be oversupplied with lithium.
Two, proper due diligence by a number of Institutions that resulted
in a determination that the supply/demand equation was going
to change to oversupply.

Is it one or two? Are we now oversupplied? Will that condition
remain for the next several years ?
Place your bets.