Putin could’ve built up short positions, couldn’t he?

Question

Is there any reason to believe that Putin and his cronies did not build up massive short positions before Russia made its move?If you can tank world wide stock markets at will, why not use that power to your advantage? Multiply the fortunes of yourself and of those you need to stay in power.Might well offset the effects of any sanctions the outside world could possibly impose on you. The whole affair would be a can&rsquo;t-lose scenario for you, and you&rsquo;d be winning even if you failed to reach any of your other goals.Could he have done it? Any indications that he did or didn&rsquo;t? Is there a limit to the possible payoff for such a scheme?

jstx1 · Accepted Answer

He's one of the richest people in the world already and he has the economy of a large country to steal from. It's not impossible for him to have done this, it just seems like a very inefficient strategy to get more money.

qnsi · Answer

I doubt there is any market maker allowing that big of short positions, that it would be profitable for them. Finance world would notice. They lost billions waging this war, but its not about money

starwind · Answer

Yes he could have. This would be a bad strategy. Not only would he have to worry about his other investments getting hurt, there are a lot more stockholders in Russia today than there were a decade ago, and Putin ultimately relies on a reasonably happy population to keep running Russia.

easytiger · Answer

Well Nancy Pelosi & Husband use her political insider position to make money. So why not