The Irish regulator has reminded stock brokers in Ireland and the UK that the shorting ban on Irish bank stocks hasn’t been lifted.

For all who wonder which shares are being geared for the next invisible hand lift off, I present an email distributed earlier today by CMC Markets

Short selling positions on retail shares have almost doubled between November and January, as investors bet on further gloom for the sector…

The ban on shortly selling will only provide a temporary solution to the current problems to the markets, according to UK-based financial spreadbetting firm ODL Markets.

A number of financial authorities have imposed emergency measures outlawing fresh short-selling of financial stocks and any increase in existing short positions across all types of financial products…

Investors who take out a stake of larger than three per cent in a company using Contracts For Difference (CFDs) are to be forced to disclose their actions in the UK.