Tuesday The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has extended the exemptions on its short-selling ban for the third time in two days to help alleviate confusion over the new rules.
Trading on the Australian market was delayed for an hour on Monday, following confusion over the meaning of the ban on both naked and covered short-selling, with ASIC forced to clarify that existing hedges would not be affected by the changes.
Then, again early on Tuesday, the commission exempted dual-listed companies from the short-selling ban, clearing the way for investors trading the difference between share prices on dual-listed stocks to make covered short sales. The change mostly affected funds trading in the dual-listed shares of mining giants, BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Ltd.
Covered short-selling involves borrowing shares and selling them in the market, with the investor hoping to buy them back for less to make a profit and then return the shares.
BHP Price at posting:
$37.90 Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
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(20min delay)