The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-05-19
What a 90 Corner y Is.

A stock corner is thus explained by
the New York EUeRing Post: The
"bear" element In the market consists
of all those who think that the prices of
securities are higher than they ought to
be, higher than they can permanently
remain. In order to take advantage of
the unwnrranted Imitation of values,
as they understand it, they borrow
stocks and sell them at the high prices
prevailing, expecting to be able to buy
them In at lower price before 1t be-
comes necessary to return the borrowed
securities. For instance, A borrows from
B, 1000 shares of Hannibal and st.
Joseph, which is selling at 90. A pays
b 500, 600 cash aud agrees to return the
stock on demand, when, OF course, the
money will be refunded to him. 1t is
for BIS interest to lend the stock, because
he gets the interest on the $50, 600 during
the interval, or at all events, more in
terest than he would otherwise have 10
pay for the use of the money. Under
ordinary conditions. b, the lender of the
stock, will pay A, the borrower, some
thing for the use of the money, but II
NE particular stock wanted by the
bears IN scarce it will be lent ''fiat F."
that is the borrower will receive nothing
4
| continues In extreme cases the lender
may even get n s1-ctnission for the use
! of the stock in addition 20 the interest
on the money which il represents. If
the market huctuatea while the loan
continues. the borrowe-auu lender set
| tie .peisl. each other at tle close of each
| day, so that the amount Of money shall
at all times be exactly equivalent to the
value of the stock.
When the bears, or any portion of
them, have discerDed a weak spot in the
market, that is, security selling for
more than it is worth in their opinion
they borrow and sell literally. Their
selling has the same effe,t in putting
down the price as though the stock
were absolutely their own, and their ex-
pectation Is that other holders observing
the decline in price viii become alarmed
and sell also, thus putting down the
price still more and frightening still
other holders. They intend, of course,
to buy enough at the lower scale of
quotations 10 deliver back what they
have borrowed, pocketing the difference
1t sometimes, though rarely, happens
a few persons, discovering what the
bears are about, and believing that they
(the bears) are strong enough TO stand a
heavy loss without breaking, quietly
buy up all Of a particular stock that
exists. In order that the price may not
be forced up while they themselves are
buying, they lend stock to the bears,
and thus encourage the latter to sell.
When they have secured all, or nearly
all, Of the particular stock that exists,
they call in their loans. The bears are
then compelled to buy, and since no
stock, or very little, is for sale, the price
can be forced up to any figure at which
the cornering party choose to put it.
That is what once happened in Hanni-
bal and st Joseph. The "shorts must
come up and settle on such terms as may
be dictated to them. The last resort is
to leave the cornering party saddled with
the whole issue of the stock in question.
Whether they may make or lose by the
operation, will depend upon whether
they can extort from the bears more
than enough to compensate them for the
loss they may incur in re-selling the
stock to the general public. Most COM
monty the cornering party, as well as
the cornered, lose money-which has
been gained meanwhile by the multi
tude, who have taken advantage of the
high prices to sell ont.