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.