You are incorrect saying there are no shorting or mmin this stock. There us no specific market maker for this company to make the market, required to buy and sell when no one else is, however all trades go through a mm. and mm can short sell, just not individual investors. If you looj at level 2, mm vert has been sitting on the ask with an endless supply if shares, preventing it from going up, despite the large buying volume hitting the ask. If that isn't nanipulation, then someone has an endless supply if shares to sell. Plus vert has a documented history of doing this.
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