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I was wondering how long it would take for the accusations to fly that Potash Corp. is a victim of short sellers. Not long, apparently. On Thursday a Merrill Lynch analyst downgraded the stock from a buy to underperform (that’s wishy-washy for sell, by the way) because of fears of a slowdown. When the fertilizer maker’s shares lost 35 per cent of their value—wiping billions from its market cap and helping to drive down the TSX by a whopping 800 points—money managers and investors quickly pointed the finger at those scourges of the investment world. In one Globe story a money manager said short selling was the only possible explanation for the rout. “Is there any reason to take $30 off Potash Corp.?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”