Short-selling clampdown hits private investors

The financial information website said short positions taken out by private investors in UK banks in the three months before the ban accounted for over half of all short positions taken privately in UK shares. Barclays topped the table for most shorted shares, representing 16.3% of all shorted positions taken out by private investors. RBS came second with 11.3%, HBOS with 10.9% and Lloyds TSB with 9.6% (based on positions taken through DigitalLook’s Marketmaker:Investor Edition spread betting platform). Andy Yates, director at DigitalLook.com, said: “Short selling is not just a tool for...