Even yoda might have trouble figuring out the current market environment. In a world of falling prices, how can wealth be protected? I have some news for you. Even in a falling market, wealth can be not just preserved; it can be created. With just a few simple techniques, Ill show you how to supersize your portfolio.
Shorting stock. The phrase sends a blood-curdling chill down many a buy-and-hold investors spine, frightening them into a shock-induced state of confusion. Yet for masters of this easier-then-it-sounds technique, its an extremely profitable oasis within the uncompromising desert that is this bear. Confused? Its like this... the vast majority of investors only buy stocks. When you buy a stock, there are two ways to make money. Stock price appreciation (buy low, sell high), and dividends. Which is all well and good when the market is going up, but for markets such as the one were currently embroiled in, we need a whole different animal.
While counter-intuitive, shorting stock is less complicated then you might think. The goal when shorting stock is the same as when buying; your trying to buy low, and sell high. The only difference is that you do it in the other order. You sell stock today, and you buy it tomorrow (or some other time in the future), hopefully for less. By doing so, you make a profit equal to the difference between your buying and selling prices.
An example... In early October, Kellogg (K) was trading for around $56.00 per share. Over the next two months, it dropped from just over $55.00, to $42.00 per share. Shorting 100 shares of Kellogg would have, in this instance, had a profit of $1400. The procedure would be the following. When you short the stock at $56.00, you borrow 100 shares from your broker, and sell them on the open market, giving you $5600. Later on, you decide to buy back those shares, and return them to your broker, while Kellogg is at $42.00. This costs you $4200. Now you have covered your short position, for a profit of $1400. Not to shabby for 2 months, and a $5600 investment.
Another way to think of shorting stocks is to own a negative number of shares... If you own 100 shares of a stock, and it goes down $10, then you lost $1000. If you own -100 shares of a stock (or your short 10 shares of a stock), and it goes down 10$ then you gain $1000. Of course, if the unthinkable happens, and the stock appreciates by 10$, then your down $1000 (What, did you think it was riskless?).
Regardless of how you play the markets, an eye must be kept on the most important element of all " risk. While shorting helps to remove some of the systematic risk from your portfolio " a portfolio composed of both buying stocks, and short stocks, is less venerable to a market crash " it does carry its own unique risks. Especially in a bear market, it pays to watch the news on your shorts. Any good news that comes out may raise the stock price of those that your shorting, and if a stock isnt going down anymore, its not a good stock to be short. The bigger risk to your short positions is the end of a bear market. When the new bull market ends, many short positions will quickly swing towards unprofitability, and so you must be quick to close them.
One standard practice among investment professionals is the 5% rule. This rule is used when deciding how many shares of a company to buy/short, and is an invaluable tool when shorting stocks. Lets say you want to short a $15 stock, but your not sure how many shares to short. First take the amount of money in your portfolio, say, $10000. Then, take 5% of that. $500. That is the amount you can risk on this transaction. Next determine the most logical stop loss. Lets say you decide if the stock goes above $17.50, youll sell your shares using a stop loss. If you can lose 2.50 per share, and your willing to risk $500, then you would short 200 shares of the stock, maximum. Many risk adverse investors choose only 2 or 3%, but 5% serves as a good maximum for even most risk-tolerant investors.
In a bear market, there is just one, singularly important, yet amazingly simple truth that must always be kept in mind. Everythings going down. Throw 3 random letters together, and pull up a stock chart, and every time, youll see declining prices throughout a bear market. With this in mind, shorting is the only thing that makes sense. Masters of this technique have been pulling millions in from the market since the dawn of the last century. As far back as the 1929 crash, Jesse Livermore made $100 MILLION using this technique. In a strong bear market, shorting etfs and stocks can be a brutally efficient cash machine.
Shorting stock. The phrase sends a blood-curdling chill down many a buy-and-hold investors spine, frightening them into a shock-induced state of confusion. Yet for masters of this easier-then-it-sounds technique, its an extremely profitable oasis within the uncompromising desert that is this bear. Confused? Its like this... the vast majority of investors only buy stocks. When you buy a stock, there are two ways to make money. Stock price appreciation (buy low, sell high), and dividends. Which is all well and good when the market is going up, but for markets such as the one were currently embroiled in, we need a whole different animal.
While counter-intuitive, shorting stock is less complicated then you might think. The goal when shorting stock is the same as when buying; your trying to buy low, and sell high. The only difference is that you do it in the other order. You sell stock today, and you buy it tomorrow (or some other time in the future), hopefully for less. By doing so, you make a profit equal to the difference between your buying and selling prices.
An example... In early October, Kellogg (K) was trading for around $56.00 per share. Over the next two months, it dropped from just over $55.00, to $42.00 per share. Shorting 100 shares of Kellogg would have, in this instance, had a profit of $1400. The procedure would be the following. When you short the stock at $56.00, you borrow 100 shares from your broker, and sell them on the open market, giving you $5600. Later on, you decide to buy back those shares, and return them to your broker, while Kellogg is at $42.00. This costs you $4200. Now you have covered your short position, for a profit of $1400. Not to shabby for 2 months, and a $5600 investment.
Another way to think of shorting stocks is to own a negative number of shares... If you own 100 shares of a stock, and it goes down $10, then you lost $1000. If you own -100 shares of a stock (or your short 10 shares of a stock), and it goes down 10$ then you gain $1000. Of course, if the unthinkable happens, and the stock appreciates by 10$, then your down $1000 (What, did you think it was riskless?).
Regardless of how you play the markets, an eye must be kept on the most important element of all " risk. While shorting helps to remove some of the systematic risk from your portfolio " a portfolio composed of both buying stocks, and short stocks, is less venerable to a market crash " it does carry its own unique risks. Especially in a bear market, it pays to watch the news on your shorts. Any good news that comes out may raise the stock price of those that your shorting, and if a stock isnt going down anymore, its not a good stock to be short. The bigger risk to your short positions is the end of a bear market. When the new bull market ends, many short positions will quickly swing towards unprofitability, and so you must be quick to close them.
One standard practice among investment professionals is the 5% rule. This rule is used when deciding how many shares of a company to buy/short, and is an invaluable tool when shorting stocks. Lets say you want to short a $15 stock, but your not sure how many shares to short. First take the amount of money in your portfolio, say, $10000. Then, take 5% of that. $500. That is the amount you can risk on this transaction. Next determine the most logical stop loss. Lets say you decide if the stock goes above $17.50, youll sell your shares using a stop loss. If you can lose 2.50 per share, and your willing to risk $500, then you would short 200 shares of the stock, maximum. Many risk adverse investors choose only 2 or 3%, but 5% serves as a good maximum for even most risk-tolerant investors.
In a bear market, there is just one, singularly important, yet amazingly simple truth that must always be kept in mind. Everythings going down. Throw 3 random letters together, and pull up a stock chart, and every time, youll see declining prices throughout a bear market. With this in mind, shorting is the only thing that makes sense. Masters of this technique have been pulling millions in from the market since the dawn of the last century. As far back as the 1929 crash, Jesse Livermore made $100 MILLION using this technique. In a strong bear market, shorting etfs and stocks can be a brutally efficient cash machine.
About the Author:
Confused about ETF's shorting stocks, bear markets or any of the other terms? Or just interested in cashing in on this once in a lifetime opportunity? Click here and Learn How to short stocks and make money This and other unique content 'stocks' articles are available with free reprint rights.
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