Short Selling - How Does It Work? | How Do You Short a Stock?

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 309

  • @PBoyle
    @PBoyle  3 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    Thanks to our growing list of Patreon Sponsors and Channel Members for supporting the channel. www.patreon.com/PatrickBoyleOnFinance
    Ed, Devon Young, Pavle Obradovic, Erik Van Ekelenburg, Moe Amrane, David O'Connor, Christian Richards, Zak Patterson, Ki Ryu Chan, Pjotr Bekkering, Drew, Ivaylo Kunev, Alex, Robert W Proudfoot, EatEmAll, Michael Boensel, Adrian Phang, pooh shmoo, Ron Hughes, Robert Muller, Andre Michel, Ivan Iliev, Gopaljee Atulya, Milan Tomic, Mark Hooker, Artem Vasenin, P H, Mathews Sebonego, Sebastian, Michal Lacko, Erik Montesinos, Matthew Loos, Az Indragiri, Robert Proudfoot, SK, Aman Bali, Lautaro Parada, Pratap, Deborah Joseph, Robin Sung, Kurt Johnston and Kaushik Vankadkar

    • @TeDynef
      @TeDynef 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sorry that i am so cheap that i dont pay you more than a single trade cost me :< But youre a fund manager! Its about the idea of paying you.

    • @sourabhpatel2391
      @sourabhpatel2391 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Stock prices fall after record date, can we short on those days??

    • @MartinChowdhury
      @MartinChowdhury 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      ED means ED Ponsi

    • @viannawells2100
      @viannawells2100 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Different price prediction everyday about Bitcoin,but honestly nobody knows the future. Logic say that Bitcoin market sooner or later, have to correct to the reality levels But then again they might not I really do not know , all I know is one thing has diverse portfolio on which you trade with right signal to multiply profits. If you are already following a major strategy that operate in bull market otherwise Consult with an experienced and licensed trader who is active in the Bitcoin market..Mr Clifford..i made an investment with him and got $21,800 in first week..his the best trader I have met.. there is still opportunities to make mad Money now.. Anyone can reach him via w hat's app 👇👇
      *+ 1 9 1 7 2 6 8 1 0 8 7*
      *Mr Clifford*

    • @jeffshackleford3152
      @jeffshackleford3152 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      How do voting rights work in the chain of custody as far as short shares go? By your example can't there technically be infinite short shares and long shares? Also how does a market maker reconcile his books with short calls/long puts?

  • @Sam-yr8ls
    @Sam-yr8ls 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    WAIT A SEC... this guy ain't got no lambo, and isn't telling me ill make £1,000,000 a month from 1k investment. He's obviously a chump and doesn't know ANYTHING.
    For real though, I came from coffeezilla. Its been super interesting seeing what trading is actually like and why nobody who has the brain power to pay Instagram gurus for shortcuts will ever make it.
    Keep up the good work!

  • @DaveM-js4mw
    @DaveM-js4mw 3 ปีที่แล้ว +48

    Easily the best finance content on youtube. You are very good at taking concepts which I have been trying to wrap my hobbyist investor mind around for years and making them crystal clear with the most succinct summary

    • @PBoyle
      @PBoyle  3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Wow, thanks!

  • @arnoldwilson5377
    @arnoldwilson5377 3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    Thanks Patrick, you are by far the most legit financial TH-camr. Keep it up!

  • @cybercab
    @cybercab 3 ปีที่แล้ว +72

    Been trading since 1987. Never shorted a stock. It seems like one of the Top 5 riskiest ways to invest.

    • @etotheash
      @etotheash 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      tried shorting 2 years ago, any position I hold more than a few days lights me up, ouch!

    • @cybercab
      @cybercab 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@etotheash That’s frightening!

    • @titusndeto7332
      @titusndeto7332 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      When short selling beware of the short squeeze or short a stock after the short squeeze common sense applies😀😀

    • @jasonisfamous6544
      @jasonisfamous6544 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@titusndeto7332 so ez buy low sell high right lol wait its sell high and buy low

    • @silverhawk7324
      @silverhawk7324 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      After suffering almost a 95% loss I will never short again.

  • @user-tk2lf1dv3s
    @user-tk2lf1dv3s 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    short-selling only really seems profitable if you have insider knowledge (not necessarily the company, just having extreme knowledge in a volatile field, like grapes for wine production) or if you are a multi billion hedge fund that manipulates the stock

  • @Je.rone_
    @Je.rone_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    I've never shorted a stock but i want to at least once just for the educational experience
    I have bought put options though with a similar effect

    • @wangyuan0325
      @wangyuan0325 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      puts are safer, but with time limit, which increases complexity, for not only being right on the direction, but also the timing.

    • @jkholtgreve
      @jkholtgreve 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@wangyuan0325 interest is its own time risk. It really doesn’t seem like there’s any advantage to a retail trader selling short over buying a mid-to-long term put.

    • @jmitterii2
      @jmitterii2 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I swing traded bitcoin on one of those (well all of them are tether exclusive) margin exchanges. I made some fun exciting shorts on some real dumpster dives. Wasn't in it for the leverage, so never made trade sizes that were huge. Just those that my tiny amounts $100 to $500 trade size could handle.
      It's not as fun as it seems though.
      It's the time valuation period... this applies to longing too which you could do both.
      You would be charged a funders fee if you were in the majority position over a period of 12 or so hours and the clock hit payment time and you were in a trade. If you were in the minority position you actually got paid the funder fees fee based on your trade size and the rate of that funders fee.
      Anyway, it was mix. I just broke even. Never made that many trades. And no way was I leaving the trades open for more than 24 hours (part of my problem). I also don't like stop losses, and you kind of need to set those up or face potential liquidation when you're not watching your trade.
      Needless to say, shorting and longing in margin is sort of a waste of time.
      Its promoted by affiliates as if you can make so much money. But that's why they also charge you to join their "education" club. Because they're not making anything themselves. Nobody really does. Other than the exchanges.

    • @joeblowe7545
      @joeblowe7545 ปีที่แล้ว

      Start out very small. Money that you wouldn't miss if you were faced with a margin call.

  • @timvincent8649
    @timvincent8649 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Even if I've been shorting for years, I enjoy this video to simply recap the fundamental basics of the process. You're great!

  • @discoveringthei
    @discoveringthei 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Futures I trade Long and Short, no bias, just a systematic approach. I do very well. I do well enough that if I say how well I do, people say I'm lying. But, I am involved in the markets 16 hours a day, usually not all at once, with a good deal of overnight trading during volatile markets.
    Stocks, my first short trade was a stock called STEC, it was also one of my first long buys. I had bought 30 shares of the stock, because it had rising EPS and meant several Growth Stock numbers. The day after I bought it, it opened down, hit my stop, and sold me out. I went back and started looking at the numbers. The way they went up seemed a little too perfect. So, I looked at it's previous low, and decided to short it if it hit that low. It did, I shorted it, put a stop in, and held it all the way to bankruptcy because it turned out it was a Fraud. I stopped shorting stocks, when I suffered a gap up, and lost 8% of my account to an unexpected move.
    When it comes to stocks now, I usually trade puts instead of actually shorting the stock, for three reasons, to cut my exposure, to preserve my capital, so I can make multiple trades without tying up a bunch of capital, and for the tax reasons (derivatives are taxed so much better for short term trading) . I trade with an incredibly small amount of exposure and do so with only directional trades in the market. I'm wrong with my options trading as high as 70% of the time. The thing is when I'm right, my average return can be 10 to 20X the initial investment. I put .5% of my account into an options trade. I might make 50 of these trades a year. This year I made a lot more, for a lot shorter time span, and it's been hugely profitable. There was one day, I made 13% on my account trading an Amazon Weekly puts on a Friday, it was risking, I would've likely lost all .5% of that trade if I was wrong, but, if I made that trade 20x I still only had to be right once to be profitable. I get away with it because I'm investing so little of my capital, .5%, and I usually exit the trade when I'm wrong at 25% to 50% loss of the contract, meaning I don't lose my whole investment anyways. All trades combined, it's my highest return rate with a near 7 to 1 payout on average.

    • @PBoyle
      @PBoyle  3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      It sounds like you have a good approach. Most profitable traders put in a similar level of work. I am not much of a believer in the idea of passive income from trading. In the same way that you cant just pick up a guitar and play like Hendrix, you cant just open a brokerage account and get the returns of Jim Simons. Hard work pays off.

  • @osazemeusen1091
    @osazemeusen1091 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Could you do a talk for CFDs? Your level of depth is mind blowing. Thanks for creating this channel.

    • @jordiecomm4423
      @jordiecomm4423 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      CFDs the retail trader destroyer

  • @kateatl5140
    @kateatl5140 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    This was sooooooooo helpful! I didn't really understand the ins and outs of shorting, and you made it so easy to understand. You're truly a skilled teacher, which *isn't* common among people with extensive knowledge in a particular area.

  •  3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    When you explain it sounds easy to short sale.

  • @makarlsson123
    @makarlsson123 3 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    You are just fantastic Patrick.
    Although I'm new to stock market, and not always understand every word you say, I always look forward to you vids. Doing my best to keep up but watching it a couple of times helps a lot ;-)
    Stay safe and looking forward for next one.

  • @MT-xp7pe
    @MT-xp7pe 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Patrick makes so much sense and his easy to understand explanations and dialogue of his presentations are invaluable and totally engaging . Thanks Patrick and much appreciated

  • @thefruglife
    @thefruglife 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I think the unlimited exposure to short selling is mostly just theoretical. In practice, your loss is, in a way, bounded to your margin account. If have insufficient margin, your position will be closed on your behalf. Sure, if the stock price changes drastically in a short amount of time, it could eliminate your margin and more, leaving you obligated to pay the difference. But on these same more volatile stocks, the margin requirements should be higher to compensate for that.

  • @oler208
    @oler208 22 วันที่ผ่านมา

    This video is super informative but I keep coming back just because of the smile in the thumbnail😂. It's just so perfect.

  • @francoismaltais7798
    @francoismaltais7798 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Merci Patrick, super intéressant, c'est la première fois que je ne vois aucun dislike...

  • @alibizzle2010
    @alibizzle2010 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    One day I would like to see you cover the story of how Goldman was able to screw AIG on both sides by demanding their cash back from AIGs stock lending arm knowing they had invested RMBS and that the demand for cash would force them to sell allowing Goldman to get even more from their CDS deals with AIG FP

  • @kp2718
    @kp2718 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You are the first person in years I heard to explain how the borrowing in short selling truly works.
    My guess is all the other guys just had no idea what they were really talking about😅👍

  • @Charlatan-Parodyman
    @Charlatan-Parodyman 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I shorted Nikola not long after the IPO. I own a few EV stocks and had a pretty decent knowledge of the company and the position. It still made me very nervous but it ended up being profitable. I held for about a month.

  • @kaya051285
    @kaya051285 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Short selling is very risky
    You have to be both correct and time it very well. I have half a dozen companies I think the share price will fall 70-80% and I am highly confident this will happen within the next 3 years however I won't short them because
    1: If you put the capital into the stock market for three years you would expect about 30% return. So the shares need to fall at a minium 30% to 'break even'
    2: If at any point in the next three years the shares double I would lose all of the investment even if it later indeed does fall 70-80%
    3: I'm a bit paranoid that market makers in the smaller AIM markets intentionally swing the smaller stocks widely to crush such bets. Swing a share 100% up 50% down and hit the stop losses and margin calls of the smaller investors like taking candy from a baby
    4: And of course I could be wrong although

    • @lordromanyx
      @lordromanyx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Looks like you called it

  • @ranganuiaotearoa8324
    @ranganuiaotearoa8324 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thanks Patrick. I'm doing a financial course and your videos have become essential watching as i try to understand quantative analysis.Your final comment about looking for stocks most likely to rise is a great rule to live by!

  • @ShotgunAFlyboy
    @ShotgunAFlyboy ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I like how this video was to the point and exactly what the title described

  • @aaronmoravek
    @aaronmoravek 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I like the simple data backed points you make.

  • @whheaton
    @whheaton 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    0 dislikes wow. Really he does just give the straight truth so I guess it's not that surprising. Nothing to complain about here. Great to have content from such a knowledgable investor. He can be a bit dry, but I prefer that in my investment advice sources. Anything too exciting and its probably false and/or trying to sell you something.

    • @whheaton
      @whheaton 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Also I never do bearish trades (unless you count covered calls, which you shouldn't because overall delta is still positive).

    • @whheaton
      @whheaton 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      HAHA 1 dislike probably because of this post.

  • @ruifsimoes16
    @ruifsimoes16 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Patrick ... I’m new in your channel .. but I feel that you are the real thing , so instructive and juicy all your stories.. I just love it.. with your stories I am learning how to be a better investor and on the books you advise to read ??? It’s like an enlightenment.. thank you so much to give away so much knowledge... I’m following you not to long ago.. but I’ve seen one video from a radio station also with a great guy on the lead giving you this great interview about faked investors... soooo good .. I loved it.. I gave it a try to see one of your videos on TH-cam and VOILÀ.. the best videos about investing EVER.. so real so down to earth.. and by the way... I love your sense of humor.. great job man.. keep it up.. I’m 1000% follower.. 👍👍👍

  • @jonasdauerbrenner6432
    @jonasdauerbrenner6432 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    great explanation. thanks, patrick! keep up the amazing work.

  • @FishGears
    @FishGears 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Top notch as usual 👍

  • @Volken321
    @Volken321 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I use short selling for pair trades.
    You sell short shares of a company you think will decline and use the money from the sale to buy shares of a company which you think will profit from the collaps of your short selled stock.
    With that you can profit double, loose double and/or you can manage your risk better.

  • @payamism
    @payamism 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Short selling is dangerous as it has limited profit potential, but theoretically infinite loss potential as a security price might keep rising and rising for a long time. If you are new to stock trading avoid it. It is something that only very experienced and pros who understand what they are doing should do.

    • @lucaambrogioni
      @lucaambrogioni 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I think you should always buy an option to cap the maximum losses to something that doesn't bankrupt you.

    • @jamescaley9942
      @jamescaley9942 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      In that case it should not be allowed. It is like physics: once you bring infinity into an equation it is considered "game over". No market participant has infinite resources and if they cannot cover their positions that is systemic risk.

    • @cybercab
      @cybercab 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jamescaley9942 That's an interesting view. I'd respectfully disagree. While, I would never short a stock, I would rather the government NOT protect me from my own stupidity. Liberty > Safety. But that's just me. Good discussion!

    • @karlwhalls2915
      @karlwhalls2915 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      And sometimes, even the pro’s lose billions 😉

    • @payamism
      @payamism 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@karlwhalls2915 LOL, yes.

  • @gaetanomaccarrone8499
    @gaetanomaccarrone8499 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Great Video! Thank you!

    • @PBoyle
      @PBoyle  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Glad you liked it!

  • @GaryARahn
    @GaryARahn 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I successfully shorted TWTR recently when i saw the CEO report to Congress looking like the Taliban and was obviously lying to some od the questions.
    I've also used SQQQ to stabilize my portfolio during days with higher than normal volatility, the problem I've had with this strategy is I tend to hang onto the short too long. I've put that strategy on the back burner for now.

  • @jasonkendal3407
    @jasonkendal3407 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Shorted my first ever stock NKLA, at 34 down to 18 about two weeks. booked about 5000 USD less about $500 in interest. I saw friends get wrecked trying to Short TSLA before this, but the case for fraud on NKLA was much stronger. Previous to this I have tried shorting via leveraged ETFs SQQQ /SPXS and as a novice and got burned with the volatility of the Trump-China trade war. I was sucked to it from bias and FOMO.

    • @jasonkendal3407
      @jasonkendal3407 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      oh and thanks again for the great content - getting schooled.

  • @farmerjoe2103
    @farmerjoe2103 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Yeah.
    I shorted BitCoin at $118.
    Just hanging in there, waiting for it to comeback down.
    Fingers crossed..🤞🤞🤞
    PJ...

  • @lukemckee9772
    @lukemckee9772 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I have never shorted a share or bought puts or calls. Just been trading and playing with crypto, I will have to find better brokers. Great videos man, been binging your channel

  • @e.sanoop110
    @e.sanoop110 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love Shorting stocks. Big money is made by shorting a financial instrument than going long on it. Ex Paul Tudor Jones, Dr Micheal Burry etc. Short and right, long and wrong. This is what the markets have taught me.

    • @joeblowe7545
      @joeblowe7545 ปีที่แล้ว

      That's until you get burned badly. Not wishing this upon you, but don't think you're too smart or immune.

    • @e.sanoop110
      @e.sanoop110 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@joeblowe7545 there are Hedge funds who specialise in Shorting only but it's not common to find Smart money who likes to be only Long in the markets. Besides most of the billionaire fund managers and traders made their wealth via Shorting itself. Example Paul Tudor Jones, Michael Burry, Bill Ackman, George Soros etc. During any recession or market crashes, People having long positions lose heavily. Also Short sellers watch their risk more closely than people having long positions. Learn Shorting stocks and Indices, u will love it. 😎😎😎

  • @glendunzweilerproductions2812
    @glendunzweilerproductions2812 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I see these investment strategies as fulfilling a gambling addiction. When you make money off of failure, a small group of people are incentivized to burn the whole world down. I know I am simplifying this into a base morality, but I lost a house in the 2008 financial crisis and I have seen the destruction people create when they want to make short term gains. Thank you for this explanation. I don’t work in finance, but I really try to understand finance.

  • @alleneverhart4141
    @alleneverhart4141 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have shorted stocks on occasion but not recently. Often the position was generated by an assignment or early exercise on an option. Usually there was some other option position limiting the downside of such an unintended short-sale.
    A few comments on your video:
    - Buy low/ sell high applies equally well to shorting stocks if you add the caveat "either order."
    -Borrowing first - The idea that a short-seller borrow's the shares FIRST, is, well, a joke. In the US a broker has 2 days to deliver shares and that is an eternity in this world of high-speed-trading. A well-funded short-seller can generate a significant dilution event in a stock in 2 days and that's how a stock like GME became 138% short-sold.

  • @ThangLe-yf6wj
    @ThangLe-yf6wj 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I know of short selling for awhile but only started doing it with Nikola this year @34

  • @OmarAl93
    @OmarAl93 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    We’ll explained. Thanks. Alot.

  • @H4ll0w33nX
    @H4ll0w33nX 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    You explain things very well. :)

    • @PBoyle
      @PBoyle  3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Glad it was helpful!

  • @marxenbrothers
    @marxenbrothers 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Never short sold a stock, but I had mixed experiences with buying derivatives or selling derivatives that might be compared to a short.
    Recently I sold call options on Grenke and this trade has moved into a very good direction for me (thesis: overvaluation and fraud). Also sold a OTM call on Zoom. Thesis: Small addressed market and the stock is incredibly overvalued. This trade is a high risk, but potentially high reward. Plus, I sold OTM calls on SPY expiring end of the year. The overall portfolio is predominantly long, so if SPY moves up a lot - from a portfolio perspective it would be beneficial. On the other hand, Zoom is a bit of a risk if that company doubles from current levels. Zoom is a good company, but already valuation seems outlandish and option prices are through the roof. Absent a major short squeeze that would make Zoom eclipse McDonalds or J&J's market cap, I don't see too many issues with the trade.
    In the past, my problem was never that a company got turned around or that I misunderstood an economic development. BUT: I consistently underestimated how stupid most investors are. This year for example Grenke, Wirecard or the mid March Covid crash. I never expected that it would take the market months to understand what is happening. Now, I am not sure when the market will understand that Zoom might be a good company, but that the price of far OTM call options is just ridiculous.

    • @marxenbrothers
      @marxenbrothers 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Here is an explanation on my short on Zoom. It is in German though. th-cam.com/video/INvW5QDdNuI/w-d-xo.html

  • @lowmelh8497
    @lowmelh8497 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I am a hard brutal critic, but you Patrick deserves a lecturer crown.

  • @amsbeats841
    @amsbeats841 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The problem that I have personally noticed with short selling is this: the really really good short opportunities are usually unavailable because shares are out, and if you have one of the brokers that's good for short selling the borrow rates on such trades can be astronomical I have seen as high as 20% not on the year but on the day!! Not to mention if it's a good short you're probably not the only one who noticed so you always have to check the short interest if it's above 20% you're at risk of a short squeeze. Which can happen for no reason at all other than there's too many shorts in the stock.

  • @Corndadthepop
    @Corndadthepop ปีที่แล้ว

    I went into this thinking, "I know what short selling is, I'll just brush up and give my guy a watch..." It turns out I had a surface level understanding, pretty much where you started. This was very educational, and I thank you for it.

  • @andrewmayo9400
    @andrewmayo9400 ปีที่แล้ว

    It may be an interesting idea to delineate the difference between short selling and buying put options, both bet on a stock's fall, but puts limit that downside risk and pay a premium for that, whereas shorts have unlimited downside exposure.

  • @alka3341
    @alka3341 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I feel like this great new video may have come partly as a result of my suggestion to do a video on long/short macro strategy haha Thanks for explaining all this. What I would have added is a bigger word of caution on shorting companies that are going bust which is really playing with fire in practice. This year we've seen very violent "pre-bankruptcy rallies" as the media dubbed them. Herzt was probably the most widely publicised one but certainly not the only. As a matter of fact, a good friend of mine decided to go short Valaris (VALPQ) - an offshore drilling company that was going bust earlier this year. So he sold short at around $0.30 right before the pre-bankruptcy rally of the stock which took it all the way to $2.19 (that would have meant a loss of around 7x the amount invested in the short position). Luckily the position was relatively small (1000 bucks or so) and he managed to wait for a few months before it went back down and he ended up selling only at a small loss. So, it's funny how short selling is said to be betting on zero but in practice you may really not want this to actually happen to the company you're shorting and get caught in the middle of a violent short squeeze. And yeah given the nature of it, it is not surprising hedge funds with short bias have done terribly on average. It may be interesting to discuss the macro long/short funds that use short position not because they bet the stock is going to zero but to hedge out risks in a respective opposite long position.
    To my understanding it works like this: suppose I'm bullish on any sector, say paper products, and think there is a growing demand which will be a great catalyst for earnings growth in the next 6 months to a year. Given it's a fairly commoditised sector and stocks are not particularly liquid (nothing beyond mid caps at best), I may wanna pick the best company in the sector as my long (usually the one trading at the highest multiple of all and with most pristine financial statements) and then the worst one as my short (usually the most indebted, with the worst margins and trading at the lowest multiple but still liquid enough, say, at least $1bn market cap). So what I'm hoping is to have my long position really surge and the short to stay kinda flat or even go down a bit. If I happen to be entirely wrong on the sector or there is generalised panic sell-out in the market and it all starts to go down, the idea is that the bad company (my short position) -- being the rubbish that it supposedly is -- will go down more than the good one (the long position) and I would trade out relatively unscathed out of both. I've been told by friends working in finance that this is a strategy often used by short-term investors (3 months to a year horizon) in macro strategy hedge funds. To be honest, I'm giving it a go with very small amounts of money and trying to see how it works. I find it intellectually appealing (putting my econ degree to work for once haha) and I'd really love to hear more about it by a professional like you, Patrick, as you may have used it :) Cheers! (apologies for the screed, I'm really passionate about these things)

  • @andrenashville
    @andrenashville 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thanks for another great video! I have only shorted VIX and UVXY. Maybe that could be a topic for another video.

  • @JMKats89
    @JMKats89 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    The merger arbitrage video isn't in the description. But since I had to go to your channel to find it and found a wealth of other interesting videos there you definitely earned my sub. Great content and thanks for sharing your insights for free! Really well explained.

    • @PBoyle
      @PBoyle  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks for letting me know. I just put the link in right now.

  • @TeDynef
    @TeDynef 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I actually shorted TSLA right after the peak 1 day before the earning via options. I used my diamondhands and made around 1000% on that bet.

    • @florianwerner1263
      @florianwerner1263 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Wallstreetbets appoves this message.

    • @TeDynef
      @TeDynef 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@florianwerner1263 Probably because thats why i am in the market. Luv u bros

    • @TeDynef
      @TeDynef 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Also i short lira since months. Please join tendietown

    • @tiendoan1333
      @tiendoan1333 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Positions or BAN!

    • @geraldh.8047
      @geraldh.8047 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ticker symbol of the put used?

  • @davecarkeet5691
    @davecarkeet5691 ปีที่แล้ว

    Best explanation that Ive heard yet! Thank you patrick

  • @nikunjpurohit562
    @nikunjpurohit562 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    short near term futures without using leverage and keep rolling

  • @Lithilic
    @Lithilic ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I've watched a multiple videos on short selling and the more I understand it, the less understand why people are interested in it.

  • @kricketts4348
    @kricketts4348 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Thanks Patrick. More. I have a question. Many people blame shorts for their stock going down. I hear others say shorts are good for the market. Any opinions? Not sure if you did a calls and puts video yet. Why are puts sometimes priced way above the current price?

  • @thepianoplayer416
    @thepianoplayer416 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    When you buy & hold a stock (go long) you technically have unlimited upside potential but... companies don't really have unlimited growth. Even the biggest companies will get to a certain point and the profit & stock price would stay at a certain level (the peak). And some companies stock are hyped up way more than the earnings (earning per share ratio would be very high) so a correction is likely. With online trading getting more popular, you're going to see more people taking short-term profit (trading in & out) causing a lot of volatility. With so much happening in the world, it's very unlikely for most companies' share prices to head to the sky. With up & down cycles we'd see shares rise to a certain point in an economic boom and get into correction during a downturn. A correction can be more severe than before since investors no longer have to go through a middleman (broker of some sort). Buying & selling can be done directly through a home computer.
    When it comes to short selling, you can make as much money as the current share price * # shares & the price you buy it back * # shares (buy to cover). Or you can lose the entire amount you short-sell when the company declares bankruptcy and stops trading. A few decades ago there used to be a rule you can do short-selling when company's share price is at least $5. If it gets below $5 you're not allowed to short. Not sure if this is still the case.
    Holding a company stock may/ may not mean higher prices overtime. All depends on the economic situation and whether there is demand for the products / services the company is promoting. Oil for instance is way down during C-19 due to decreased demand.

  • @ibec69
    @ibec69 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Never shorted a stock and I don't think I ever will but NKLA tempted me to no end.

  • @wolfitcoaching4655
    @wolfitcoaching4655 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi Patrick, would be cool if you do a video on short squeeze. How it works, why and how to avoid them as a short seller.
    Thanks

  • @effingsix3825
    @effingsix3825 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I would certainly like to hear about index ETFs that are sometimes leveraged 2X and short. How does that work, and are the risks less than short selling? And are traders short selling leveraged short ETFs? Is Micheal Burry correct that the next collapse is likely going to be due to ETFs?

    • @GaryARahn
      @GaryARahn 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      SQQQ is a 3x short for the NASDAQ.
      using it for day trades only is highly recommended.

    • @bixis5081
      @bixis5081 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      leveraged etfs are, as said above, for day trading only. they are risky as hell, in long run their price doesn´t make sense. you can find math bethind these on youtube i believe.
      also micheal burry believes that etfs don´t allow for true price discovery. but 2020 so far showed us that etfs get through stressed markets so far without failing. Maybe they are here to stay and michael burry was wrond for once. you can find more about that in imo great podcas money for the rest of us, search for some part about etfs in last 3 months

    • @seneca983
      @seneca983 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      "How does that work"
      I think the ETF basically contains derivatives the follow the index inversely.

    • @effingsix3825
      @effingsix3825 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      From what I’ve seen, ETFs on the wrong side of the trade can get wiped out, as in the short volatility ETFs during the volatility event in early 2018. The long volatility ETFs did fine.

    • @GaryARahn
      @GaryARahn 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Study "contango" and "backwardation".
      You really should know the mechanics behind those two functions before investing.

  • @kevinboyles1067
    @kevinboyles1067 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Shorted Apple back in the 90's. Made a profit, but longest week of my life. :-)

  • @eliyasne9695
    @eliyasne9695 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Wow, short *interest* returns are astounding, why don't all institutions utilize them? Where is the hidden risk?

    • @kurtalder1622
      @kurtalder1622 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I've been pondering this same question, as an individual lending shares. My greatest uncertainty is that of lending anything, is the financial position of the borrower great enough to pay you back.
      I'm not only talking about interest payments but also the principal value of the borrowed share. Until I understand it more I won't participate in my brokerages program to lend my shares

    • @cybercab
      @cybercab 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Because it's insanely risky. You can literally lose an infinite amount of money. Infinite!

    • @eliyasne9695
      @eliyasne9695 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@cybercab
      You misunderstood me.
      I was talking about the position of the share lender, not the short position.

    • @cybercab
      @cybercab 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@eliyasne9695 Ah! I did misunderstand. That makes more sense. lol. Scared me for a moment!

  • @vvolfflovv
    @vvolfflovv 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I am building a small position in an ETF that shorts brick and mortar retail (EMTY) to help protect against a major downturn as momentum can change very fast in times like these.

  • @Cusnpbzn
    @Cusnpbzn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    love it mate, keep it coming!

  • @tiendoan1333
    @tiendoan1333 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I was hoping to hear about short selling in the context of something like market neutral time series momentum, but I guess your videos are much tailored to interested newcomers of the market. Keep it up :)

    • @Copepiece
      @Copepiece 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Can’t read the title?

  • @chinlim7865
    @chinlim7865 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Hi Patrick, CMC brought CFDs to Australia. We can short sell shares CFD. In the US, traders have to 'borrow' stocks to short. The other way to 'short' is buy put options. It would be interesting to your audience if you can do a video comparing the pros and cons of the three shorting instruments. What trading situation is it appropriate to use one other the others. Thanks.

    • @RabianskiT
      @RabianskiT ปีที่แล้ว

      I would also want to see this type of a video ❤ (Afaik it hasn’t been released in the last 2 years since you posted your comment 😆).

  • @realGBx64
    @realGBx64 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Short selling is risky, and usually doesn’t work out
    People still hate shortsellers with a passion, like thos guys didn’t have enough problems by themselves

  • @DanPocketRocket
    @DanPocketRocket 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    there is nothing more beautiful than being on the right side of a good woodshedding

    • @PBoyle
      @PBoyle  3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Very true. I have been practicing a lot more than usual this year, and it is really making a difference.

  • @cc69.94
    @cc69.94 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It's not rocket science. Maybe pure instinct, graphs reading and guts.
    My best strategy was to hedge at lower price based on research and information.
    Ratio between volume, stock price and commission fees does impact a lot.
    Too low volume may result in less profit then you wont profit enough to pay commission, thus a loss trade.
    For Robinhood. I would rather play by myself and pay commission than to rely on those guys.
    Thks for video. I learn a lot more about shorting.

  • @ricktasker8248
    @ricktasker8248 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I always thought short selling was a sucker's bet. Thanks Mr. Boyle, now I know.

  • @edesouza007
    @edesouza007 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Patrick, this is a really great description of short selling ! Excellent job !

  • @virtualherd
    @virtualherd ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for the information. This clearly isn't something I should be doing

  • @florianwerner1263
    @florianwerner1263 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I haven't watched the video, but the thumbnail looks sick!

    • @vr2854
      @vr2854 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Then don't comment, if you did not watch.

    • @davecarkeet5691
      @davecarkeet5691 ปีที่แล้ว

      Watch it! Worth the effort!

  • @7177YT
    @7177YT ปีที่แล้ว

    yah love your perspective on fundamental concepts. Sad that the news of the day have priority over revisiting the basics. Cheers!

  • @rickhbg
    @rickhbg 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for another great educational video without all the BS of so many other hacks on TH-cam

  • @taylorkaus1352
    @taylorkaus1352 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great content. Really enjoy Patrick’s breakdowns. I would add to this that even if you are correct in your valuation and short a stock that is intrinsically overvalued, it may take a long time for the market to come to terms with this. As mark meldrum says, there is no use being right in a room full of wrong people.

  • @volijay1019
    @volijay1019 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    One of the few people with a very unique voice. You should do audio books.

  • @brendansmith7842
    @brendansmith7842 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Jim chanos has been short tesla since 300 before the split, losing about 700%. I think the key is covering when ur thesis or reasoning changes or elsr u can end up broke like him.

  • @michaelburge9968
    @michaelburge9968 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Why would you short a stock rather than sell a naked call? It's profitable-by-default since you start with time-premium, you don't have to pay dividends, and counterparties don't early-exercise except in predictable cases(very high dividends, if the trade goes very far against you and you're deeply ITM, if the stock becomes hard-to-borrow(because everyone else is shorting it), etc.).
    Why would you short a stock rather than sell a single-stock future? I saw Interactive Brokers offers them, and again: No dividends, no early-exercise risk, less margin.
    If I have a bunch of long stock, would trading volatility in the short direction be anti-correlated income and therefore better risk-adjusted returns? That is: buy lots of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon to get a long position; short NASDAQ index; and sell put options to cover expected losses and maybe make slight profit overall.
    Since short-sellers "lose by default", does that mean professionals only make large directional bets? Or do people ever make small bets: "I think this stock is 3% too high, so I'll short it"
    If you find companies that are unlikely-to-suddenly-rise(like a water distribution company with 2% dividends, with low growth), would it make sense to short them and use the money elsewhere(like preferred shares in a REIT that pays 6% yield)?

  • @ThePribinaczek
    @ThePribinaczek ปีที่แล้ว +1

    i keep shorting crypto all the time, works well

  • @bradleyshepard
    @bradleyshepard ปีที่แล้ว

    2 questions...
    1) the borrower is obliged to pay the dividend to the person lending the stock if a dividend is paid on the stock? does that mean the dividend comes to the borrowers account who then pays it to the lender? or does the lender get to collect 2 dividend payments one from the stock and another from the borrower?
    2) the lender can demand the return of the stock at any time... that puts the borrower at quite a disadvantage it seems. does the lender have to return all or part of the interest if it is before the agreed upon term of the loan. what protection exists for the borrower?

  • @mhcbon4606
    @mhcbon4606 ปีที่แล้ว

    "there is theoretically no limit as to how much a stock could rise", for that to happen, this means money has devaluated by that much. There is no free lunch. Although, neat video of you to explain that to general public (on the other end one could say we need more small investors to rob them).

  • @7Damyan7
    @7Damyan7 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    At 6:35, was that a cheeky jab at Bill Ackman shorting Herbalife? 😏

  • @erick7862
    @erick7862 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Such a great explanation. Thank you!

  • @TeDynef
    @TeDynef 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Please make me a video how to participate on credit default swaps as retail customer. I know youre good enough for solving this problem.

  • @ManforSomeMarkets
    @ManforSomeMarkets 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I’ve never found much reason to take on a naked short alone. I have found a lot of value using long-short strategies to manage some directional risk in industries that are noisy or macro-sensitive.
    Example, but not financial advice: After the crash I went long JP Morgan and short Wells Fargo at a 1:3 ratio (you can read the tape on JPM-3*WFC if you use ToS). So far I’m generally happy with the trade, but I also understand that a few months isn’t a good sample size and correlations can dramatically change if we hit another tail event.

  • @markharis1089
    @markharis1089 ปีที่แล้ว

    True to Pat's word, he maybe should have started off with the risk at 5:25...

  • @gregtomamichel973
    @gregtomamichel973 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Given the chart of return on the shorting indexn near the end of the video, it would be a brave and confident investor that would see shorting as a good plan. Personally, I prefer my charts to up & to the right, not down & to the right.

  • @GNBcorporal
    @GNBcorporal 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great explanation Patrick! Although as a retail investor im not comfortable with shorting

  • @_ipsissimus_
    @_ipsissimus_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great information, i didnt know about the uptick rule. Thanks

  • @vv5179
    @vv5179 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love it! Thank you for sharing!

  • @Ckom-Tunes
    @Ckom-Tunes 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video Patrick! Now can somebody tell me why I went to business school for four years? Shorting was an entire course-and they didn’t provide much more useful information!

  • @robertkacala
    @robertkacala 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    short on spread betting...and add to the position

  • @cinematic_rc
    @cinematic_rc 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I usually just short the /es to offset some of my long deltas

    • @victorespino5650
      @victorespino5650 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That's what you're supposed to do, hedge your position. Not really make gains.

  • @1112-g1x
    @1112-g1x 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    i short sell sports odds, its great whn a side pulls ahead and ther price steams in, thn u can shrt sell thm a very little exposure with huge upside the market often over reacts which provides gud value

  • @e.p.s.9037
    @e.p.s.9037 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've very occasionally shorted as part of my day trading, always risking a very low fraction of my investments (even though I do well I split my savings very conservatively, only about a third in the stock market). And never with leverage because I'm not that bold/crazy; just some extra bucks here and there for a couple of clicks a day. Not buying an isle any time soon, but it's an extra tool when the opportunity arises. To anyone thinking of giving it a try, be strict with your exit plan (especially losses you're willing to take) or you can create a deep mess. I've never been there myself but I could have playing with fire

  • @Chris-jt1vy
    @Chris-jt1vy 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love these videos. They are so interesting

  • @DGAFallowit
    @DGAFallowit 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Learnt more from Patrick than from my degree

  • @panuwatbuthorntaraj2909
    @panuwatbuthorntaraj2909 ปีที่แล้ว

    Come here BX you mention how few people want to know about the trading basic.

  • @ELSAMRAS1
    @ELSAMRAS1 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I short options all the time and I am able to beat s&p over time, only time I get in trouble is if I do spreads because of greed

  • @marc-andreservant201
    @marc-andreservant201 ปีที่แล้ว

    The hedging strategy means you short the stocks in the same economic sector as your long positions. For example, if you believe Microsoft has good fundamentals compared to Apple, you might want to buy Microsoft. The problem is that there might be a recession and computer sales would plummet. So you short Apple shares of equal value. If your thesis is correct, both Microsoft and Apple would fall in case of a recession, but Apple would fall further and more than cover your losses on Microsoft.

  • @blakebrothers
    @blakebrothers 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another great video, thank you!