Shorting a stock is risky but can be profitable under the right market conditions. Our 10 short selling tips will help you minimize your risks when speculating on stocks.
Shorting a stock or short selling is an old and popular strategy for cashing in on market volatility. A short or short sale bets that a stock’s value will drop soon. However, shorting is risky and complicated because short-sellers usually rely on margin lending to finance their trading.
In a classic short, a trader agrees to buy a specific amount of stock but does not pay for it for a period. The trader bets that the share price will fall by the time he has to pay for the stock.
1. Learn how short selling works.
Short-sellers typically borrow shares of the stock they hope to sell from another investor and then sell the shares, hoping to buy them back at a lower price so they can return the shares to the original owner and pocket the difference. If the price of the stock does indeed decline, the short seller will profit. However, if the stock price increases, the short seller will incur a loss, possibly an exponential loss if using leverage.
What is Short Selling? What Smart Traders Do In Bear Markets
2. Understand that shorting stocks is risky.
Shorting stocks is perilous because most short selling strategies involve margin trading or lending.
In margin trading, the buyer borrows money from a broker or exchange to cover the cost of the trades. To explain, the trader hopes they can pay off the loan with the proceeds of the trades.
Shorting and margin trading are two of the most dangerous things an investor can do. They are highly speculative and risky and can lead to big losses if not done carefully.
Here’s why:
When you short a stock, you are betting that the stock will go down in value. If it does, you make money. But if it goes up, you lose money. And since stocks tend to go up over time, shorting is a risky proposition.
Margin trading is even riskier. When you buy on margin, you’re borrowing money from your broker to buy shares of stock. If the stock goes down in value, you could end up owing your broker a lot of money. And if the stock goes up, you’re still taking on a lot of risks.
So, if you’re thinking about shorting or margin trading, be very careful. These are risky strategies that can lead to big losses. Make sure you understand the risks before you get started.
For instance, Jane could buy Tesla at $270 with a 5% interest margin loan. Then wait until Tesla’s price rises to $300 and sell it. Thus, Jane will make a $30 profit on each share she sells and be able to pay off the loan with part of the profits.
However, Jane will lose money if Tesla’s price drops because she must repay the margin loan even if the share price drops to $240. Thus, Jane will have to pay the $270 plus the interest.
In consequence, the ultimate risk of margin trading and shorting is not having enough money to repay the margin loans. In the investment industry slang, they call this blowing up. Blowing up means a trader is not making enough money from their trades to pay their margin loans.
3. Avoid a short squeeze and check short interest.
A short squeeze is when many investors buy a heavily shorted stock, which puts pressure on the stock price and causes it to rise. This is called a short squeeze because the shorts (investors who are betting against the stock) are getting squeezed out of their positions.
Short interest is simply the number of shares that have been sold short by investors. This information is important because it can indicate how bullish or bearish investors are on a particular stock. For example, if there are a lot of short sellers, this could indicate that they believe the stock price will fall in the future. Conversely, if there are very few short sellers, this could indicate that they believe the stock price will rise.
4. Have enough capital to cover short selling costs.
Shorting stocks is dangerous because it is easy to run out of money while doing it.
You first need to ask yourself how much money you’re willing to risk. This is entirely up to you and will depend on your tolerance for risk. If you’re more risk-averse, you’ll want to keep your position size smaller.
Next, you need to think about how volatile the stock market is. If it’s highly volatile, you’ll again want to keep your position size smaller. This is because stocks can move very quickly in either direction, and you don’t
Thus, you must never short stocks unless you have enough money or credit to pay for all the stock at the full price available. You will need such reserves because the stock’s price may not fall.
Moreover, if the price explodes, you should have enough money to pay for the stock. For instance, if a $100 stock suddenly jumps to $150 in price.
Hence, never short stock unless your reserve, or line of credit, is double the value of the sock you propose to buy. Also, the amount you short should always be 50% or less than your reserve or line of credit.
Following the 50% rule is a good idea because you will not run out of money. Those who follow the 50% rule will always have something left over.
5. Place a stop loss on shorts.
You can avoid many of the risks of shorting with a stop-loss order. A stop-loss will automatically exit the trade at your specified price, ensuring to do not lose more capital than you want to risk.
For instance, you can set a stop loss to activate at a specific amount, such as a 25% profit. Hence, you will make money without taking a significant risk.
Additionally, you might stop trading if stock prices move too fast. For instance, if a stock price increases by over 25% in 24 hours. Thus, you can avoid dangerous market movements.
Finally, have market conditions under which you will not trade. For instance, if the market drops or rises dramatically. Pulling out during significant market fluctuations is a good idea because many shorting strategies will not work during rapid market changes.
6. Use technical analysis to time your short trades.
Interestingly, deciding when to short is just as important as your strategy. Shorting only succeeds under specific market conditions, such as sudden market interest in a particular stock.
Hence, watch the markets closely when you are short. Thus, you should not be short if you do not have the time to pay close attention to the market. Also, avoid shorting if constantly watching the market or trades bores you.
Only people that get excited by the market and have fun trading should short. Instead, pick a trading strategy that suits your personality.
For instance, a person who hates continually watching the market will be better off with a buy-and-hold strategy or an index fund. On the other hand, someone who loves the thrill of the market can make money with shorting.
Finally, only short if you can afford to do so. Notably, only short with extra money will not need to live on. If you have trouble paying the bills or have no savings, do not short.
However, shorting is a great way for a person with a lot of extra cash to make money from the stock market if you understand it and do it right.
7. Be careful with leverage.
Leverage means the amount of credit you can receive from a margin account. Leveraging stock trades using a margin account, leveraged ETFs, or stock Options is a double-edged sword, amplifying your gains and losses.
Smart traders understand that leverage is a precious commodity and use it sparingly. A good rule is never to use over 50% of your leverage.
Thus, getting a margin account that offers leverage is a good idea when you are short. One reason to use margin credit for shorting is to avoid spending all your cash.
Many successful short traders never use cash to buy stocks. Instead, they use credit and shorting for their purchases.
8. Perform detailed analysis before shorting.
Another major mistake many people make with shorting is not to study and understand the stocks they short. For instance, they do not research the companies and the stock’s history.
Not surprisingly, these people are often surprised by unexpected movements and sudden price changes. For example, such traders are surprised when a company brings out a new product or reports a lousy quarter.
Therefore, please spend a few hours researching the stock and the company behind it before shorting it. During the research, you must pay close attention to any development that could affect the business’s market value.
Such developments include management changes, corporate scandals, new products, supply chain problems, new technologies, labor troubles, and market changes. For instance, you should be cautious of companies that manufacture and market complex machines like aircraft or vehicles.
In such businesses, problems with just one part of one model can cause a stock to fall. However, such issues can create shorting opportunities because they can lead to short-term price drops.
Generally, stock prices will rise once investors realize a problem is short-term. However, prices can fall more if the market underestimates a company’s problems.
9. Only short what you know.
It is only advisable to short stocks from companies in industries you thoroughly understand. For example, the business you work in or a field you are interested in.
Hence, an excellent way to short stocks is to concentrate on those businesses you understand best. You can identify these companies by listing your interests, knowledge, and experience and comparing them to stock listings.
Also, set aside a specific amount of money for shorting and only spend those funds. If you run out of money, stop and wait until you get more money.
Most importantly, learn not to overestimate your abilities. Most people fail at shorting because they underestimate market volatility and overestimate their insight and trading abilities.
A good way to avoid blowing up your account when shorting is to spend one-half of what you think you can afford. Thus, you will always have money left over when you are short.
10. Use Real-time market new for shorting.
Finally, always pay careful attention to overall market conditions and be ready to short if they are bad. For example, shorting can be used if outside events like news of war, terrorism, financial crises, panics, or political changes affects the market. In particular, if you think a market correction is starting, all stocks get pulled down; therefore, it is a good time to short. The caveat here is that an unpredictable and volatile market is going through a correction because price swings and unforeseen variables can quickly wreck your shorting strategy in an unstable market.
Shorting stocks can be fun and profitable if you do it wisely. Thus, you should only short stocks if you have a good understanding of the market and the discipline to follow a strategy. If you lack those attributes shorting is not for you.
Short Selling Final Thoughts
Now you know that short selling is essentially betting against the default uptrend in the stock market. The key takeaway is that you must be 90% sure you will be right. Short selling is a risky but potentially profitable business if done correctly.
Only short what you know.
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Are their date or time constraints established with a short contract. Is the date set when the borrowed shares must be returned? Is their a time limit or exact date when the number of borrowed shares must be sold?
Hi Daniel, no the time limits are for Options Contract Puts and Calls.
thanks
Barry
great answer it makes it really clear now, it alway confuused be