Shorting stocks - Anyone taken the plunge here???
Shorting stocks - Anyone taken the plunge here???
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Discussion

Tyson1980

Original Poster:

712 posts

173 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
Hi guys,

I've done pretty well simply buying low and selling high.

However, with the way the markets are i have been shorting the markets here and there. Done well on some shorts.

I'm increasingly finding myself becoming less risk averse. Sometimes i cannot sit at a PC screen for hours at a time due to other commitments.

I've always believed in buying low and selling high. Is it worthwhile me taking the spread betting to another level and investing a stload?

I've been trading for around 4 years. I've always avoided spreadbetting for fear of being burned..

tonym911

18,359 posts

222 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
In a fairer world this activity would be illegal.

Tyson1980

Original Poster:

712 posts

173 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
tonym911 said:
In a fairer world this activity would be illegal.
I agree 100% and find the behavior unethical and amoral. Moreso in a declining economic market...

Is it any wonder my share portfolio has reduced 50% in value???

But needs must, and it intrigues me..

Edited by Tyson1980 on Wednesday 19th October 14:54

tonym911

18,359 posts

222 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
All I can add is, if you have a conscience, don't go there.

RemainAllHoof

78,795 posts

299 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
Presumably, you want to go down the spreadbetting route for leverage purposes. What if the stock you shorted goes up, doubling its price. Can you sustain that loss?

Tyson1980

Original Poster:

712 posts

173 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
RemainAllHoof said:
Presumably, you want to go down the spreadbetting route for leverage purposes. What if the stock you shorted goes up, doubling its price. Can you sustain that loss?
Most likely. However that's where the stop-loss comes in...

jeff m2

2,060 posts

168 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
If your port is down 50% I would take a good look at where you were before things started to go wrong.
You must have already been in quite an agressive position. If you intend to take an even more aggresive stance to "get back", things could ....well you knowsmile.

Short positions are often best taken when things are rosy, they are very cheap, and I think of them as insurance, or protecting my current position in a sector that may be getting a little expensive or has become shakysmile

I used SKF a financial 2x short (in the US) with some success. I'm not suggesting that you buy that now!!!!!, just an example.

Sometimes it takes a hefty hit to shake some investing common sense into us, everybody has suffered one, I got mine years ago. (Japan)
Regroup, assess where you stand, start again.

RemainAllHoof

78,795 posts

299 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
Tyson1980 said:
Most likely. However that's where the stop-loss comes in...
The question is therefore: where do you put your stop?

Soovy

35,829 posts

288 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
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tonym911 said:
In a fairer world this activity would be illegal.
rofl

You really are magnificently uninformed aren't you?

Get an account, you might make a few quid and cheer up.

northandy

3,521 posts

238 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
I know there is money to be made here, i just cant get comfortable with it.


Soovy

35,829 posts

288 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
northandy said:
I know there is money to be made here, i just cant get comfortable with it.
You do realise that taking a short position using a spread bet or a CFD doesn't actually affect the price of the underlying, don't you? It's just a punt.



tonym911

18,359 posts

222 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
Soovy said:
rofl

You really are magnificently uninformed aren't you?

Get an account, you might make a few quid and cheer up.
Your judgemental perception of my state of informedness or cheeriness, or indeed of my financial situation, is a nice definition of 'uninformed'. You might come across as less arrogant if you considered opening your mind to the possibility that we're not all driven by money, and especially not by the kind that is obtained to the detriment of others.

northandy

3,521 posts

238 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
Soovy said:
You do realise that taking a short position using a spread bet or a CFD doesn't actually affect the price of the underlying, don't you? It's just a punt.
No i understand that, i just cant get my head around investing looking for the negatives. I guess its possibly easier than hunting out upsides though, especially where some of my previous investing failures are concerned. biggrin

Soovy

35,829 posts

288 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
northandy said:
Soovy said:
You do realise that taking a short position using a spread bet or a CFD doesn't actually affect the price of the underlying, don't you? It's just a punt.
No i understand that, i just cant get my head around investing looking for the negatives. I guess its possibly easier than hunting out upsides though, especially where some of my previous investing failures are concerned. biggrin
A bet's a bet. If you think it's going down then go short on a spread bet.

And despite my comrade below, there is NO detriment to others in predicting events upon which your prediction has zero effect.



otherman

2,246 posts

182 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
tonym911 said:
In a fairer world this activity would be illegal.
No more so that going in the bookies and betting on a horse. Either you win, or the bookie wins.

johnfm

13,712 posts

267 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
tonym911 said:
In a fairer world this activity would be illegal.
Why?

I am genuinely interested in how anyone gets to the belief that thinking a stock is overpriced and backing that thinking with an investment is 'unfair'.

tonym911

18,359 posts

222 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
otherman said:
No more so that going in the bookies and betting on a horse. Either you win, or the bookie wins.
The difference of course being that in the stock market you can also bet on the 'horse' to lose, and then play a part in its losing performance by unloading shares, pretending to unload them, or spreading rumours that you're about to unload them.

johnfm

13,712 posts

267 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
northandy said:
Soovy said:
You do realise that taking a short position using a spread bet or a CFD doesn't actually affect the price of the underlying, don't you? It's just a punt.
No i understand that, i just cant get my head around investing looking for the negatives. I guess its possibly easier than hunting out upsides though, especially where some of my previous investing failures are concerned. biggrin
You are not looking for 'negatives' - you are looking at the current market price of one share in a company. You then make a judgement as to whether you think that share is overpriced or underpriced - either by evaluating the underlying value of the company (earnings, growth, borrowings, news of new products/markets/acquisitions etc) or by using the greater fool theory to decide whether the share price has further to rise or not.

If you think the share is overvalued, you short. If you think it us undervalued you buy.


Depending on your investment horizon and your pockets, you will either 'blow up' on the trade or make on it.

It isn't unfair or immoral at all.

pimping

759 posts

191 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
Down 50% and all in with rrl. fkity its either going to make it or not. I know i will diversify once it pops or drowns.
maybe then i can buy a decent motor.

ellroy

7,550 posts

242 months

Wednesday 19th October 2011
quotequote all
With CFDs you ARE buying the stock, albeit in a highly geared manner.

About 20%, IIRC, of volumes are now CFD trades.