US

Short Selling

Bans on the short selling of financial securities, such as stocks and government bonds, lead to prices that are further, on average, from their fundamental values.

Responses

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
12%
5%
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22%
49%
12%

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
0%
0%
19%
56%
26%
Participant
University
Vote
Confidence
Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
I think this would depend on the type of mispricing. E.g., heterogeneous priors with shortselling can lead to wide swings in prices.
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale
Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
I would have said strongly, but there may be instances where one could use other securities to synthesize or mimic the short.
Currie
Janet Currie
Princeton
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Restricted trade on one side of the market, if binding, by definition prevents matching supply with demand, and thus "fundamental" prices.
-see background information here
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Even with short selling, it can be hard to stop a bubble. Without it, well...
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Goldin
Claudia Goldin
Harvard
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
more impt question is whether shorts produce info that improve firm governance. mandatory disclosure rules raise firm profits & stock price
-see background information here
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
If short selling is lawful and fraud is not prosecuted, there is a big opportunity to spread fraudulent rumors and gain by shorting.
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
On average definitely. By the nature of learning processes, not always.
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
This desperate policy does not work. See Geanakoplos for the dangers of leverage and the inability to short in producing instability.
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Lazear
Edward Lazear
Stanford
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Most studies that I have seen indicate that banning short selling has no effect on average price, but does lead to higher variance
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Seems logical as a matter of economic theory. As a matter of practice, I don't know the relevant evidence.
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Subject to the qualification of market corners.
Obstfeld
Maurice Obstfeld
Berkeley
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
I can imagine different scenarios, and I don't believe there is clear-cut empirical evidence.
Rouse
Cecilia Rouse
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
If they have any effect, it's got to be in that direction.
Shin
Hyun Song Shin
Princeton
Uncertain
9
Bio/Vote History
Stock
James Stock
Harvard
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Stokey
Nancy Stokey
University of Chicago
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
I've never seen any evidence on this point.
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
If Bob Shiller had succeeded in making it possible to short real estate markets, some of the bubbles might have been abated.
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Zingales
Luigi Zingales
Chicago Booth
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History