The technique of profiting from a price fall is called short-selling, otherwise known as “shorting,” “to go short” or simply “short.” Basically, short-selling is the reverse of how we’re traditionally taught to invest, to buy at the lowest possible price and sell at the highest. When shorting, you aim to jump in at a high and out at a low – with the sequence of events also in reverse, since you sell first and buy back afterwards. Indeed, as confusing as it sounds, this involves selling something that you don’t already own.
Each day we feature the top 10 shorted stocks on the ASX, compiled from data from ASIC. In the table below you will find the cumulative percentage of outstanding shorts for each stock. If you're interested in more information about each company, further down we have 1-year share price charts, plus links to more charting and news. For the daily short sales (shorts for that day only, rather than cumulative outstanding shorts), please click here .
Company Code % Shorts JB HI-FI JBH 19.34 FAIRFAX FXJ 16.70 ILUKA ILU 14.07 MYER MYR 13.98 PALADIN PDN 13.26 DAVID JONES DJS 11.69 METCASH MTS 11.22 FLIGHT CENTRE FLT 10.80 HARVEY NORMAN HVN 10.00 LYNAS LYC 9.59
1. JB Hi Fi (JBH)
Stock code: JBH
Charts: JB Hi Fi Limited
More news: JB Hi Fi Limited
2 . Fairfax (FXJ)
Stock code: FXJ
Charts: Fairfax Limited
More news: Fairfax Limited
3 . Iluka (ILU)
Stock code: ILU
Charts: Iluka Resources Limited
More news: Iluka Resources Limited
4 . Myer (MYR)
Stock code: MYR
Charts: Myer Limited
More news: Myer Limited
5 . Paladin (PDN)
Stock code: PDN
Charts: Paladin Limited
More news: Paladin Limited
6 . David Jones (DJS)
Stock code: DJS
Charts: David Jones Limited
More news: David Jones Limited
7 . Metcash (MTS)
Stock code: MTS
Charts: Metcash
More news: Metcash
8 . Flight Centre (FLT)
Stock code: FLT
Charts: Flight Centre Limited
More news: Flight Centre Limited
9 . Harvey Norman (HVN)
Stock code: HVN
Charts: Harvey Norman
More news: Harvey Norman
10 . Lynas (LYC)
Stock code: LYC
Charts: Lynas
More news: Lynas
Click on the links below to read other articles from this week's newsletter
3 Manufacturing Stocks Bucking The Trend
18 Share Tips - 4 March 2013
Using Analyst Recommendations During Reporting Season
Why the Federal Reserve is Digging an Ever-Deeper Hole
Borrowing to invest a risky solution to a savings problem
The Age of Cheap Finance is Over - Why Rates will Rise
RSI Vs Stochastics - Which Momentum Indicator Should You Use?
Stocks on a roll: ASX rolling 52-week highs
Stock on the slide: ASX rolling 52-week lows
Disclaimer: No responsibility is accepted for any inaccuracies contained in the matter published. Shorted positions sourced from ASIC, TheBull is not responsible for the accuracy of the data. Charts as at close of last full day's trade. The publication of this data does not in any way constitute a recommendation on the part of TheBull.com.au. You should seek professional advice before making any investment decisions.