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Journal of Corporate Finance Vol. 92 2025

Predation by stock price manipulation

Rafael Matta1; Sergio H. Rocha2; Paulo Vaz3

1 SKEMA Business School · 2 Monash University · 3 Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

open access

Abstract

We develop a model in which feedback effects from equity markets allow uninformed traders to profit by short selling a firm’s stock while going long on its product market competitor. As this strategy distorts the investment of the firm targeted by short selling to the benefit of its rival, we label it predation by stock price manipulation . A short selling ban does not prevent manipulation since the speculator can still induce a firm to underinvest by establishing a long position in its rival. Our analysis unveils how competitive interactions among firms expand the scope of manipulation, providing new insights into equity markets and short sales regulation.

DOI
10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2025.102770
Volume
92
Pages
102770
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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