The term "short selling" refers to the practice of selling borrowed securities in the hopes of buying them back at a lower price in the future to turn a profit. In IPA phonetic transcription, the word is written as ʃɔːrt ˈsɛlɪŋ. The "sh" sound is represented by the symbol ʃ, followed by the long "o" sound written as ɔːr. The second part of the word is spelled as sɛlɪŋ, with the "s" sound followed by the "eh" sound, and ending with the "ing" sound.
Short selling is a financial strategy or investment technique in which an individual or entity borrows an asset, typically stocks, from a broker or another party and subsequently sells it with the expectation that the asset's price will decline. This process allows the seller to profit from the difference between the asset's initial sale price and its repurchase price when returning the borrowed asset.
Short selling involves several steps. First, the investor borrows the asset from the lender, usually a broker, who transfers ownership temporarily. Then, the investor sells the borrowed asset in the open market to a buyer who wishes to purchase it. After some time, the investor repurchases the same asset at a potentially lower price, given their expectation of its value decreasing, and returns it to the lender, closing the position. The profit is the discrepancy between the initial sale price and the repurchase price. However, if the asset's price rises instead, the investor incurs a loss.
Short selling can be a speculative investment strategy or a hedging tool utilized to manage risk, protect existing investments, or capitalize on market downturns. Traders and investors employ short selling to potentially profit from downward market trends, to take advantage of overvalued assets, or to hedge against potential losses in their holdings. Short selling requires a comprehensive understanding of the market dynamics, risk management, and thorough analysis of the asset being borrowed and sold.
The term "short selling" originated from the stock market world and is composed of two key words: "short" and "selling".
The term "short" can be traced back to the Old English word "sceort", meaning "of small duration or extent". Over time, it also came to be associated with things that lack length, height, or size. This meaning was extended figuratively in financial contexts to refer to the action of selling something without actually possessing it.
The term "selling" comes from the Old English word "sellan", meaning "to give or deliver in exchange for money". It has retained its meaning over the years, referring to the act of exchanging goods or services for money.
Therefore, combining these two terms, "short selling" refers to the practice of selling something that one does not possess at the time of the sale, with the hope of buying it back later at a lower price.