The long and the short of it?

[Fishbulb]

hi all

sorry if this is a dumb question, but - what does "going long" or "going short" on a trade actually mean?

thanks

[white_goodman]

short is selling securities the seller does not own, in the hope of repurchasing them later at a lower price. This is done in an attempt to profit from an expected decline in price, going long is jsut normal share buying where you want to buy low and sell high

[Fishbulb]

short is selling securities the seller does not own, in the hope of repurchasing them later at a lower price. This is done in an attempt to profit from an expected decline in price, going long is jsut normal share buying where you want to buy low and sell high

thank you kind sir

some things as simple as they are when explained - as you've done here - just elude me on occasion.

[white_goodman]

thank you kind sir

some things as simple as they are when explained - as you've done here - just elude me on occasion.

no worries i often find the terms used on here a bit difficult to understand, google is my best friend in these situations.