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Is Short Selling Stocks Worth It?

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For most investors, buying and holding a stock is extremely intuitive.

When you go long, you are betting on that particular company’s success. You are hoping that the market values the stock higher in the future than they do today. Then, when you sell your stake in the company, you’ll realize those gains for a profit.

What is less intuitive is the practice of short selling – or betting against a specific stock or security. While the concept may seem simple at first glance, the actual mechanics behind it are much more complicated for an entry-level investor to understand.

Further, short selling has all kinds of intrinsic risks and costs that need to be understood before it should be used as a tactic. Not grasping these risks can lead to all kinds of horror stories.

Is Short Selling Stocks Worth It?

Today’s infographic comes from StocksToTrade.com, and it addresses the question of whether the risk of short selling is worth the potential payoff.

Our thoughts? Short selling is a tactic used by intermediate to advanced traders, and it should only be attempted by someone who understands the mechanics and risks behind it. Under those circumstances, it can be a useful way to hedge or to profit in a down market.

Is Short Selling Stocks Worth It?

Is short selling worth it? It likely depends on your level of sophistication and risk tolerance.

The Risks of Short Selling

Here are the specific risks of short selling that every investor should be aware of:

  • Losses can keep mounting. The maximum profit you can make is capped at 100% – but if a stock keeps increasing in price, losses can accumulate far beyond that.
  • Additional costs. Short selling has a different set of costs than simply buying a stock. These include margin interest, stock borrowing costs, and dividends.
  • Short squeezes and other events. Stocks with high demand for shorting can have a “short squeeze” – an event that forces short sellers to close out their short positions. This can add even more upward pressure on the stock.
  • Timing is crucial. Over time, generally markets have moved upwards. Even if your short play is a good idea, the market could continue to carry the stock in the interim.

Got a shorting success or horror story? Feel free to share it in the comments below.

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Markets

The Fastest Rising U.S. Housing Markets in 2024

As U.S. home prices hit record highs, which housing market is seen the fastest growth? This graphic shows the top 10 across the country.

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This bar chart shows the U.S. housing markets with the fastest rising home prices in 2024.

The Fastest Rising U.S. Housing Markets in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

The U.S. housing market has been on a tear, with median sales prices rising more than 40% since February 2020.

While cities in southern states like Florida have witnessed some of the strongest price growth, more affordable cities across the Midwest are also seeing growing demand as buyers seek out cheaper options.

This graphic shows the U.S. metros with the fastest price growth, based on data from Redfin.

Hottest Housing Markets in America

Below, we rank the metropolitan areas with the fastest annual median sales price growth as of February 2024:

RankMetroMedian Sales Price Growth
Feb 2024 YoY
1Pittsburgh, PA+22.0%
2Fort Lauderdale, FL+18.0%
3Greensboro, NC+17.8%
4Meridian, ID+17.3%
5Toledo, OH+17.0%
6Boca Raton, FL+16.4%
7West Palm Beach, FL+16.1%
8Orlando, FL+15.9%
9Milwaukee, WI+15.6%
10Alexandria, VA+15.4%
U.S. average+6.5%

Pittsburgh, PA soars to the top of the list, with median sale prices jumping 22% over the year.

Once known as a center for steel and iron manufacturing, the city has emerged as a hub for high-tech industries including robotics, software engineering, and healthcare. At a time when housing affordability is near record lows, buyers have flocked to the market thanks to its lower home prices. In February, median sales prices in Pittsburgh were $250,000 compared to the U.S. median price of $412,219.

Following next in line is Fort Lauderdale, FL with prices jumping 18% annually. Like several cities across the state, property values have boomed thanks to the state’s warm climate and low taxes. The state also ranks as one of the best in the country to retire. In 2023, it was one of the fastest growing states in the country, adding 365,205 residents overall.

As we can see, just one housing market in the West, Meridian, ID, is experiencing some of the strongest price growth in the country. Since the pandemic, many Californians priced out of expensive real estate markets have moved to the state due to its strong job market, low crime rate, and affordability. In fact, Los Angeles and San Fransisco are some of the top metropolitan areas nationally that people are moving away from due to remote-work trends and the high cost of living.

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