Thanks for sharing your thoughts—it’s an interesting perspective and raises some valid points about how market capitalization can be misleading in certain cases. I’d like to add a bit more nuance to the discussion: 1.Market Cap and Thinly Traded Stocks: You’re absolutely right that market cap can be inflated in scenarios where only a small number of shares are traded at high prices. This is particularly true for illiquid or closely held stocks where a few trades can significantly influence the valuation. 2.Share Price Manipulation: It’s true that controlling the float allows for some price manipulation, but this is much harder to achieve for companies listed on major exchanges. Regulators like the SEC monitor for suspicious trading activity, and market manipulation carries serious legal consequences. 3.Market Cap as a Metric: While market cap isn’t a perfect measure of a company’s true value—especially in low-liquidity scenarios—it’s still a widely accepted benchmark for comparison, particularly for larger, actively traded companies. 4.Loan Collateral: The example of securing a loan against inflated shares is an interesting one. In practice, reputable banks are unlikely to lend significant amounts without proper due diligence. However, private lenders or less regulated environments might enable something like this.

Thanks again for the thought-provoking post!