Can someone explain to me how exactly Enron was able to pawn

>>1623735
It is called bonds.

>>1623735
They basically got a special status that allowed them to use their """predicted""" future earnings to pump up their stocks artificially. And, like all artificial bubbles, it popped.

They also had some other scammy shit going on, but the above is at the center of the controversy.

This. Watch The Smartest Guys in the Room. It does a half decent job of explaining how they got away with stock manipulation and the other shady shit they were involved in.

>>1623989

Goddammit. I meant to respond to this post.

Enron was a scam that was very deep. You had everyone from auditors to employees to politicians that were paid off

>>1623735
the companies (SPEs) were owned by Enron. Often when they were inspected, the guys from Enron would create a facade that made them look functional when in reality the only purpose they served was to be saddled with debt. Being able to get the debt off the books meant Enron was, on paper, extremely profitable and so stock price went up.

so were any /biz/nessman here smart enough to avoid it altogether? or make money off it - possibly by shorting?

>>1623735
My neighbor worked for the accounting firm that cooked Enron's books. He has a wife, 2 kids, and a house on the beach and none of them had held jobs during the 4 years that I lived next to them.

Interesting, huh?

>>1624423
>Watch The Smartest Guys in the Room.

The movie itself was poorly done. But the Enron story is so fascinating, that it props the movie up. Its still a must see movie.

I wish there was an actual decent Enron documentary out there. I havent really seen one.