Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: I’ve seen your comments on insider buying and selling. Do you ever look at the current short position or recent changes in the short position when looking at making buying or selling decisions? I noticed that Bombardier had the largest net increase in its short position recently. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A high short position is no longer a particularly telling stock market indicator, since traders and hedge funds often combine a short sale with some other transaction in stock options. For instance, rather than having to buy the stock back in the market, short sellers may hold call options that they can exercise; that way, they buy the stock from the option seller. The short sale may say more about options trading than it does about the company’s fundamentals. Bombardier is bound to have a high short position; its shares are highly liquid, and there are plenty available to borrow from the many institutions that own the stock. Bombardier, $3.61, symbol BBD.B on Toronto, is still a buy. buy. …