Secrets of Selling Short SuccessfullyMicron Technology, Inc.BATS:MUMarthaStokesCMT-TechniTraderSelling short is NOT the inversion of buying long swing trading. Selling short is much harder than it looks to a beginner or novice sell short trader. Selling short requires margin to trade as you are borrowing stock from Market Maker Inventories to sell the stock short. You can't sell short a stock you own. You must borrow the shares to sell short. Selling Short requires excellent tools, the training and skill to use those tools properly, and an understanding of how the Modern Stock Market Works. Who is in control of price is a question you need to ask yourself before placing a sell short order. There are 12 Market Participant Groups, not 2. There is no "Wall Street vs Main Street" . That era ended 30 years ago. The Buy Side Institutions will be looking for bargain priced stocks, NOT cheap stocks. The Sell Side are already in Sell Short Positions before market open and are now waiting and lowering their Buy-to-cover orders for their profits. The Smaller Funds were selling in panic yesterday and are probably selling down again today. Retail Day traders are in the mix and whipsaw action intraday shows just how volatile the intraday is and why day trading is a good way to lose your capital and owe a huge margin call to your Broker. The dynamics of selling short require identifying support levels and resistance levels. These are set based on candlesticks. NEVER use percentages or you will get whipsawed out of the trade. Selling short requires stop losses. If you are using percentage stop losses or used to and now do not use stop losses at all, then it is because you were using percentages. HFTs see these orders as do the Sell Side and they can take you out easily.