I love the small minds who think that a. They're important enough that the SEC would send an agent to debunk their idiocy on the internet and b. anyone who points out their ignorance must be part of some 'gubmnt conspiracy. Stop flattering yourself.
When GS & co up/downgrade a stock, it's legitimate. But when a YouTuber does it, they're fair game. SEC also failed in the Madoff case. They're still letting Steven Cohen trade (the criminal). The SEC is a spectacular failure.
Oh, I'm not small minded by the way, I have big brain. https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/prediction-based-trading.351176/page-42 check out my live calls.
That's a yuge brain, a "very large brain", amiright? Are you really that bored now that Twitter banned you and you got kicked out of the white house that you have to come here to ET and brag about how bigly smart you are Donald? You just can't make this lack of self awareness up, thanks for the entertainment this morning @stockpredictor
GS have a number of procedure and compliance guidelines when they downgrade securities, research analysts etc... doing a job and getting paid for it. There is a firewall, at least for the last 10 years, between research and deals. Some silly YT trader doesn't follow any guidelines, and nothing he does is disclosed, basically making him a perfect candidate for stock and market manipulation. It's really that simple. And to make things worse, Roaring Kitty was a registered advisor and should know about those laws. He chose to ignore them, hence why they are going after him. It's an easy case and he is going to be so fucked. The real question is why was he so desperate to make all those securities violations? he should have known better !!!
The up/downgrades make the price fly or crash, at times. Other times like Citron/Muddy Waters type can ruin people.
GS and other sell side firms make upgrade and downgrades all the time, GS might downgrade, but other firms might upgrade not everyone, except the usual clueless idiots, watch only and exclusively at GS to see where the market is heading as long as GS can reasonably justify the downgrades based on facts and analysis, and the right disclosure, they are allowed to do so. But if they were on Twitter and YT doing the same, without disclosure or proper explanation, then yes, they would be in violations.
Not to mention, GS is following the law and "Roaring Kitty" was violating it. If one doesn't like the law, then congress is the appropriate body to complain to and about. Not the agency doing their job enforcing the law.