You stated: " It does not make sense they would drive up the price by closing the deal and then do a buyback." I stated that it is illegal to drive the price up or down without an 8k.
Could be & shortly is in the vocabulary of the speaker which could be 3-6 months to some. Heck, shortly after New Years could refer to Chinese New year for all anyone knows, which is Tuesday, February 1 (Chinese New Year) 2022.:-)
Just because u think shortly after new years means, later in the week,.. It's also a pretty loose term... shortly after could be March 15. April 1. It could also be assumed to mean shortly after new years... 2023. No date was given. Just a loose term (new years)... or the Chinese new year.