I'm assuming thant there are many more companies, especially junior ones, not just PRB which are subject to manipulation by "professional people" to keep the SPs down for their intended purposes, e.g. keep SP low for cheaper PP for their clients. The manipulation is lot easier with a small float available for trading, since the longs with large number of share would hold tight to their shares and sometimes don't even bother to buy at lower prices (not too many investor would want to spend the time buying 100 shares to add to their 100,000 share holdings. Besides, the "professional people" would have access to more advanced computer technology to get to the sell orders and buy them way ahead of "mere-mortal" retail investors). What would we call this rigging?

Anyway, if there is an investigation of the 100-share practice I would expect the "practitioners", e.g. them culprit, the alledged guilty parties, would be named in the headlines, rather than the victims, e.g. little PRB, etc...The list of violations (numerous 100-share trades at some specific times, e.g. near closing) with names of victims (can call them "targets", if preferred) in Exhibit A.

The thing is, even if the investigation is leaked out, those culprits would run for the hill, leaving the targets free from further manipulations.

Sometimes all you need is for the Regulator to show a willingness to procecute (with potential consequence of jail and huge fines). That would send chill down the spines of them culprits. Deterrence may work just fine.

Naive?

goldhunter