The SEC prohibits short selling of 799 financial stocks in order to strengthen investor confidence – and so does UpDown.com.

The list of stocks that cannot be shorted can be found here.

According to a press release issued by the SEC this morning, SEC Chairman Christopher Cox said, “The Commission is committed to using every weapon in its arsenal to combat market manipulation that threatens investors and capital markets. The emergency order temporarily banning short selling of financial stocks will restore equilibrium to markets. This action, which would not be necessary in a well-functioning market, is temporary in nature and part of the comprehensive set of steps being taken by the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, and the Congress.”

We’ll keep you posted on any changes regarding these restrictions.

Michael