For a fun and educational rabbit hole, you should search 'depository bank' in the search engine of your choice. The fact is that when people buy stocks, they don't actually get the stocks they buy. The stocks are held in the depository.
No one that buys a stock actually receives the stock they think they bought. Brokers don't actually hold them either. They get a receipt.
"Global Depositary Receipts can be converted into equity shares by the cancellation of GDRs through the intermediaries, if so desired by the investor and the sale of underlying share in the domestic market through the local custodian. They are treated as common equity of the issuing company and are eligible to receive dividends and noting rights from the date of issuance. The depository receives the divided from the company in local currency and distributes the same to the holders of GDRs into dollars after converting them at the prevailing rate of exchange. The voting rights are exercised by the depository as per the agreement between the company / issuer the GDR holders.
"Global Depositary Receipts are bearer securities and trading / settlements are done through book entries through CEDEL (Clearing System for Eurobonds based in Luxembourg, where Eurobonds are physically exchanged and stored) or Euroclear. The proceeds of the GDRs can be used for financing capital goods imports, capital expenditure including domestic purchase/installation of plant, equipment and building and investment in software development, prepayment or scheduled repayment of earlier external borrowings, and equity investment in Joint Venture’s etc.
"A GDR is a dollar denominated instrument listed and traded on foreign stock exchanges like NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) or NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation) both."
https://www.mbaknol.com/international-finance/global-depositary-receipts-gdrs/
"The banksters have plans on top of plans to get all the winnings and make everyone else the losers. Like, you don't really own the contract..."
Not like that. Actually that. When you buy stocks, you don't get the stocks, you just get a promise they'll hold the stocks they own on your behalf. All you get is a receipt for money you paid them to treat their stocks as if they were yours.
Thanks!
I believe that is CEDE and company in New York.
So, while it is traded on the market, Cede and Company owns it.
And you have to go through great effort to get your broker to actually get the stock, and then give it to you. They will often drag their feet and not want to do this.
And, often, they will get a "Failure to deliver".
So, when the game of musical chairs ends, we will probably find that Blackrock owns ALL the shares. And Cede owns ALL the shares. And the rots-child holding companies own ALL the shares. So, the little people, who thought they owned something, will find they own nothing. Then begins a decade of arguing over who owns what.
Something is tickling the back of my mind... Something.. about possession and ownership.