You're right. Think about it.
If Macquarie Group, which is an investment banker, has loans out to say NMT or ORE, or include them in their investment funds, who do you think they're going to paint favourably in their releases, and who do you think they will try and down-play... those who don't have loans via them.
All speculation of course, I don't know who NMT / ORE's loans are with, but it's an interesting concept, isn't it. The "technical analysis" or analysts reports may just hold a _hint_ of bias, as you wouldn't want to pump up your opposition bank's clients...
In short, I don't trust them, and their analysis is often dead wrong, or the complete opposite. It is so important to do you own research without their biases.
The shorts are nothing in the scheme of it really.
AA DYOR