Thanks for the explanations re shorting. I didn't think it was possible to short a penny stock because none of the brokers I've had accounts with (admittedly only 4 of them) have permitted shorting on stocks below $1 (because it's so dangerous), so I mistakenly thought the rule applied across the board.

Now you've put me straight the price action in recent months makes more sense to me. This is clearly the downside of our greater visibility in the marketplace since the new management took over and analysts started coverage on the company, compared to the days when we flew a bit more under the radar.