my question is: where are they getting the coins?
is bitstamp doing a backdoor deal? or other exchanges?
don't follow the question. mtgox gets coins from their depositors.
the coins to cover their asses.....
during a liquidation, if mtgox is out of coins, they will need to use their own fiat.
prediction: as soon as mtgox is shutdown/liquidates. BTCs prices will go to the moon, on the assumption that mtgox is short. typical short squeeze. "buy the rumor, sell the news"
everyone needs to realize that this is all "normal" market actions.. BTC trading is not special, or even very volatile. trading is trading. difference is that many BTC traders are newbies to the wonderful "war" of trading.
you are naively assuming that everything in the bitcoin world is legit.
it is not.
therefore normal market behavior cannot be applied.
gox will pull a rabbit out of it's ass, and continue functioning. at a loss, of course - but they will bounce back.
I have my doubts they will bounce back. They may still be good for people trading in Japan, which I have no idea how much market share that is compared to the world. I think after this only heavy risk takers will trade on Mt Gox.