Selling Short

When an investor believes a stock is overvalued and will soon drop in price, he might decide to "short" it. First, he borrows an amount of the stock, and then sells it. He waits for the stock to tank before buying back the same amount of shares at a deflated price. After returning the shares to his lender, he pockets the difference—unless any one of several hard-to-predict variables interferes, and the stock fails to drop. Since these variables are so hard to predict, short selling is difficult for even seasoned investors. It takes great talent and experience to isolate the best short ideas for falling stocks—skills Amit Kumar developed and honed over decades of market analysis and trading. This book shares his short-selling framework, built on themes common to falling stocks and the market's endemic strengths and cycles. Featuring key case studies and exclusive interviews with successful fund managers Bill Ackman (Pershing Square Capital Management) and Mark Roberts (Off Wall Street Consulting Group), Kumar shows investors how to avoid traps and profit from well-researched short ideas. Investors may not always act on short ideas, but they can avoid losses by using Kumar's framework to identify overvalued stocks. Professionals and amateur investors alike will benefit from this fundamental research approach, which transforms short selling into a long-term strategy.

A one-of-a-kind book that shows you how to cash in on the latestinvesting trend--short selling "The Art of Short Selling is the best description of this difficulttechnique."--John Train, Train, Thomas, Smith Investment Counsel,and author of The New Money Masters "Kathryn Staley has done a masterful job explaining the highlyspecialized art of short selling. Her approach to telling the truestories of famous investment 'scams' will keep the readerspellbound, while teaching the investor many cruciallessons."--David W. Tice, Portfolio Manager, Prudent BearFund "Selling short is still a misunderstood discipline, but even themost raging bull needs to know this valuable technique to masterthe ever-changing markets."--Jim Rogers, author, InvestmentBiker On the investment playing field, there is perhaps no game moreexciting than short selling. With the right moves, it can yieldhigh returns; one misstep, however, can have disastrousconsequences. Despite the risk, a growing number of players areanteing up, sparked in part by success stories such as that ofGeorge Soros and the billions he netted by short selling theBritish pound. In The Art of Short Selling, Kathryn Staley, anexpert in the field, examines the essentials of this importantinvestment vehicle, providing a comprehensive game plan with whichyou can effectively play--and win--the short selling game. Whether used as a means of hedging bets, decreasing the volatilityof total returns, or improving returns, short selling must behandled with care--and with the right know-how. As Staley pointsout, "Short selling is not for the faint of heart. If a stock movesagainst the position holder, the effect on a portfolio and networth can be devastating. Investors need to understand the impacton their accounts as well as the consequences of getting bought inbefore they indulge in short selling." The Art of Short Sellingguides you--clearly and concisely--through the ins and outs of thishigh-risk, high-stakes game. The first--and most important--move in selling short is to identifyflaws in a business before its share prices drop. To help youtackle this key step, Staley shows you how to evaluate companyfinancial statements and balance sheets, make sense of returnratios, detect inconsistencies in inventory, and analyze thestatement of cash flows. Through real-world examples thatillustrate the shorting of bubble, high multiple growth, and themestocks, you'll proceed step by step through the complete processand learn to carry out all the essentials for a successful shortsell, including quantifying the risk factor and orchestratingcorrect timing, as well as implementing advanced valuationtechniques to execute the sell/buy. Packed with landmark, cutting-edge examples, up-to-the-minuteguidelines, and pertinent regulations, The Art of Short Selling isa timely and comprehensive reference that arms you with thenecessary tools to make a prepared and confident entrance onto theshort selling playing field.

This comprehensive examination of short selling, which is a bet on stocks declining in value, explores the ways that this strategy drives financial markets. Its focus on short selling by region, its consideration of the history and regulations of short selling, and its mixture of industry and academic perspectives clarify the uses of short selling and dispel notions of its destructive implications. With contributions from around the world, this volume sheds new light on the ways short selling uncovers market forces and can yield profitable trades. Combines academic and professional research on short selling in all major financial markets Emphasizes details about strategies, implementations, regulation, and tax advantages Chapters provide summaries for readers who want up-to-date maps of subject landscapes

On television, Wal-Mart employees are smiling women delighted with their jobs. But reality is another story. In 2000, Betty Dukes, a fifty-two-year-old black woman in Pittsburg, California, became the lead plaintiff in Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, a class action, representing 1.6 million women. In her explosive investigation of this historic lawsuit, journalist Liza Featherstone reveals how Wal-Mart, a self-styled "family-oriented," Christian company: Deprives women (but not men) of the training they need to advance. Relegates women to lower-paying jobs like selling baby clothes, reserving the more lucrative positions for men. Inflicts punitive demotions on employees who object to discrimination. Exploits Asian women in its sweatshops in Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth. Featherstone goes on to reveal the creative solutions that Wal-Mart workers around the country have found, like fighting for unions, living-wage ordinances, and childcare options. Selling Women Short combines the personal stories of these employees with superb investigative journalism to show why women who work these low-wage jobs are getting a raw deal, and what they are doing about it. A new preface to the paperback edition will reflect on Wal-Mart's response to this lawsuit and its critics-including this one.

There are two sides to everything, except the stock market. In the stock market there is only one side--the right side. In certain market conditions, selling short can put you on the right side, but it takes real knowledge and market know-how as well as a lot of courage to assume a short position. The mechanics of short selling are relatively simple, yet virtually no one, including most professionals, knows how to sell short correctly. In How to Make Money Selling Stocks Short, William J. O'Neil offers you the information needed to pursue an effective short selling strategy, and shows you--with detailed, annotated charts--how to make the moves that will ultimately take you in the right direction. From learning how to set price limits to timing your short sales, the simple and timeless advice found within these pages will keep you focused on the task at hand and let you trade with the utmost confidence.

Come over to the short side. Ever since Dutch trader Isaac Le Maire invented short selling in 1609 (and evoked the first ban on it), short selling has been seen as the dark side of stock trading—slightly suspect and too intricate for individual investors. Today, short selling is an integral part of all markets and new tools can make it as simple as buying stocks. As Michael Shulman explains in this book, a short seller is a profit-seeking contrarian who sees opportunities others do not as a stock or market segment moves down. In Sell Short, Shulman turns the mystery of short selling inside out, revealing how using the same fundamental approach underlying the purchase of a stock can lead to tremendous opportunities on the short side. Shulman does not believe traditional short selling is a good trading approach for individuals and this simple, but comprehensive overview of short selling focuses on buying puts or, in some situations, exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Throughout these pages, Shulman reveals the day-to-day details needed to generate short side profits. He describes how short selling works and how individual investors can best identify compelling opportunities before Wall Street finds them. Shulman also helps you to determine what part of your portfolio will fund short selling, what percentage of your capital should go to the short side, and how big each position should be. Filled with in-depth insights and straightforward advice, Sell Short walks you through the mechanics of opening, managing, and closing a position, including rolling or pressing a position to increase profits. (Shulman does cover traditional shorting, though, in case you'd like to take that route.) Step by step, this book prepares you to: Prospect for gold in fading stocks See opportunities that Wall Street misses Create, manage, and exit a position Short stocks, markets, and indices as well as specific sub-segments of the market, real estate (through REITs), commodities, and even countries Create the "rocket-fueled trade"—the higher-risk purchase of calls on double inverse ETFs Explore a dvanced trading techniques such as selling calls, hedging, bear call spreads, selling puts on short ETFs, and more

Combines a history of short selling with current strategies and applications to present a complete guide to this increasingly popular investment tool. Procedural and regulatory requirements are mixed with actual case studies and examples that readers can apply to specific situations. Risks and rewards of short selling are discussed in detail as are short selling as a tool for protecting other investments and for speculation.

Find a method to evaluate stocks— and build a record of impressive returns Short Selling for the Long Term describes the methods used by Joseph Parnes, President of Technomart, to obtain consistent returns in the stock market. Most investors fail to exceed the returns represented by the Standard and Poor’s Stock Index, but Parnes often does using his investment philosophy. This book outlines his method of stock assessment, providing an understandable formula. If the formula tells a reader to buy a stock, then, as explained, there is a significant chance that stock will go up. If the formula tells a reader to short a stock, then the book shows how there is a significant chance that the stock will go down. Parnes advocates the use of short selling as a long-term strategy in combination with long positions, so advisors and individual investors alike can profit in both rising and falling markets. While most investing books focus on how to make money over the long term in a rising markets, Parnes's focus on short selling as a way of capturing volatility sets this book apart from the crowd. He offers insights into the difference between option trading and shorting which make his system useful in both type of markets. • Profit in a bear market • Borrow the stock you want to bet against • Sell borrowed shares • Learn the secrets of long-term short selling strategy • Buy shares back and close by delivering at the new, lower price Short Selling for the Long Term is essential reading for investment advisors, fund managers, and individual investors.