Short Sell – Borrowing shares of a stock from your broker to sell on the open market. At some point, you must cover the short or buy enough shares to return those you borrowed. Short selling is a strategy used by those who think the price of a stock is going to decrease in the short term. The idea is to sell the borrowed stock now at a higher price, and once the value of the stock falls, to buy it to replace the borrowed stock. The profit is the difference between what is paid per share and what is received per share. Beware if the price of the stock begins to rise because at some point the stock must be bought back (short covered) and returned to the broker.
(URL) Stock Market Glossary: Short Sell
