Greenshift Corporation (GERS)

[penn_e_pincher]

Yeah, painting the tape is illegal, too. It is a form of market manipulation.

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/paintingthetape.asp

I think if you were a holder of thousands of shares and only bought an obviously small amount like 100 shares just to set the price where you want it then it is clearly manipulation. If you only had 100 shares to begin with and bought 100 more, then it is no different from your previous position and the case could be made that you are accumulating shares. But do this too frequently and close together in time and that could be considered manipulation, too. If you do it every day at the ask to close on a high print, that would probably also be considered manipulation.

Best to keep our noses clean and play a fair game!

Having said that, the buyer today was pretty bold to take shares at the ask with such a wide spread. I would have tried bidding between the market first to see if I could get a better price, then take the offer if nobody bites.