Market Watch reporting that regulators in other countries are also getting on the ban shorts band wagon while others are staying put but taking a "tougher stance," whatever that means. Still looking for something from the Canadian regulators.

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http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...

European regulators take action

Following the move from the U.S. and U.K. watchdogs, some European regulators were also beginning to take action Friday.

The Irish regulator said it has banned anyone except market makers from entering a trade with the aim of profiting from a fall in the shares of Irish banks. That move helped drive the main Irish index up nearly 12%.

Other regulators didn't change their rules, but indicated they would be taking a tougher stance of monitoring and enforcing them.

The Swiss Federal Bank Commission and SWX Swiss Exchange both issued statements emphasizing that naked short selling -- where a stock is sold without making arrangement to borrow it first -- is not permitted and contravenes the code of conduct on market abuse.

France's Autorite des Marches Financiers similarly warned anyone selling shares in France that they must deliver the stock within three days and said it will crack down on anyone breaching that rule.

A spokeswoman for Germany's regulator, the BaFin, said short selling is not banned in Germany but declined to comment on the situation for naked short selling or whether it is considering a temporary restriction.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that large shareholders had already begun to cut back on their lending of shares -- a crucial element of short selling.

Among the investors reigning-in lending is Calpers, the largest U.S. public pension fund, which had stopped lending out shares of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Wachovia Corp. (WB: 14.50, +5.38, +59.0%) even before the SEC's announcement.
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Simon Kennedy is the City correspondent for MarketWatch in London.