Why Main Street blames financial speculation for economic crashes Disdain for short selling is as American as apple pie, dating back to our nation’s founding. But as Bob Sloan argues in Don’t Blame the Shorts, short selling lies at the heart of every Wall Street transaction and fuels the financial system. Sloan explains that without shorting, credit in high-yield, distressed, convertible bonds and equities vanishes, thus choking economic activity. This eye-opening look at short selling in America provides new insight into our hostile relationship with shorting–a relationship that turns out to be unhealthy and counterproductive.