Selling but no buyers? What happens then?

mogley · 16 November 2007

This might seem like a newbie question but i'm just trying to get to grips with everything.

Say i have stock XYZ and suddenly news emerges that the world is on the brink of alien invasion and that we are about to bombed back into the Stone Age. So everyone wants to sell their stocks and buy food, clothes, weapons and pr0n.

There is massive panic selling and as I understand how a market (and the ASX) works, for there to be sellers there must be buyers willing to take the stock off your hands.

Now in this hypothetical situation, if no-one wants to buy any stocks at all, are the sellers just going to have open orders that will never settle?

UPKA · 16 November 2007

Then ur holdings will become a worthless piece of paper..

cuttlefish · 16 November 2007

Mr Market will deem them worthless pieces of paper - but they may still have value. Value and price are different.

But yep - no buyers - not trades - this is how gaps down occur on charts.

Timmy · 16 November 2007

Dont worry Mogley, the aliens will have got short before announcing invasion plans and will be sitting on the bid soaking up the panic selling. They will then get long and announce plans to instead buy everything we can produce. Devious player your alien.

Trembling Hand · 16 November 2007

Timmy said:
Dont worry Mogley, the aliens will have got short before announcing invasion plans and will be sitting on the bid soaking up the panic selling. They will then get long and announce plans to instead buy everything we can produce. Devious player your alien.

This may not be such a silly answer.

There would be bids, very low ones, as the shorts would want to close their postions and to do that you have to buy. But they would soon be cleaned up.

Tysonboss1 · 16 November 2007

The Price would continue to fall to ridiculas levels, as there would probally still be buyers even if they are just trying to take control of the companies assets for scrap metal.

kgee · 16 November 2007

Timmy said:
Dont worry Mogley, the aliens will have got short before announcing invasion plans and will be sitting on the bid soaking up the panic selling. They will then get long and announce plans to instead buy everything we can produce. Devious player your alien.

yeah I never trusted them aliens - too funny looking

Trembling Hand · 16 November 2007

Tysonboss1 said:
The Price would continue to fall to ridiculas levels, as there would probally still be buyers even if they are just trying to take control of the companies assets for scrap metal.

Who would they be selling the scrap metal to?

If it did happen I would be bid $0.0000000001 a CBA share.
Always wanted my own bank even if its just for a day, before I get Nuked.

motorway · 16 November 2007

I believe it happened in 1929..

A lot of stocks did not initially go down because there were no buyers

hence no trades... because of that those not close to the action did not appreciate what was happening ( Why would they if the price was unchanged )

from an article I have somewhere..

motorway

Homer1 · 17 November 2007

No need for alien invasion, there are already stocks listed on ASX which can at times face this sort of situation. Go to these new mining companies which have very low transaction. Buy and see what happens? You may not find a buyer when you want to sell.

Tysonboss1 · 17 November 2007

trembling Hand said:
Who would they be selling the scrap metal to?

If it did happen I would be bid $0.0000000001 a CBA share.
Always wanted my own bank even if its just for a day, before I get Nuked.

People that don't believe in aleins

Aussiejeff · 17 November 2007

mogley said:
This might seem like a newbie question but i'm just trying to get to grips with everything.

Say i have stock XYZ and suddenly news emerges that the world is on the brink of alien invasion and that we are about to bombed back into the Stone Age. So everyone wants to sell their stocks and buy food, clothes, weapons and pr0n.

There is massive panic selling and as I understand how a market (and the ASX) works, for there to be sellers there must be buyers willing to take the stock off your hands.

Now in this hypothetical situation, if no-one wants to buy any stocks at all, are the sellers just going to have open orders that will never settle?

Are you from planet Mogley?

AJ

Julia · 17 November 2007

Homer1 said:
No need for alien invasion, there are already stocks listed on ASX which can at times face this sort of situation. Go to these new mining companies which have very low transaction. Buy and see what happens? You may not find a buyer when you want to sell.

True. And not only new mining companies. I held shares in Wide Bay Australia - a smallish regional Qld bank - for some years and they did pretty well. Stopped doing so well. Time to sell. Took three days for the sale to complete.

Tysonboss1 · 17 November 2007

I own some shares in the BBX Property fund listed on the NSX,...

all shares have been issued in the IPO and one later share issue, It is impossible to by shares in this company,...

other than IPO and the later share purchase plan that was offed to existing share holders,.... not a single share has been offered by a share holder for sale, there fore not a single trade has been recorded.

pickles · 18 November 2007

thankyou, I have just had the best laugh for the last month. You are so funny, but you know what, you should do well!!!
Good luck with your trading.

Pickles

Selling but no buyers? What happens then?

mogley

UPKA

Let the money work for you!

cuttlefish

Timmy

white swans need love too

Trembling Hand

Can be found on the bid

Tysonboss1

kgee

Trembling Hand

Can be found on the bid

motorway

Homer1

Tysonboss1

Aussiejeff

Julia

In Memoriam

Tysonboss1

pickles

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