Is this a joke? Institutions, just like you and I, can buy whatever they want at whatever price they want to buy it at. Paulson's hedge fund, an institution, has invested in Alpha Bank amongst other Greek financial institutions. Is the IMF an institution...yah they bailed the entire Greek financial system out hence investing in it. There are certain criterias that are set by investment managers at firms that may limit that specific firm but that doesn't limit the entire market. You need to do some more DD and read a book on investing...