Definition

Betting that a stock will go down, then buying it back cheaper. It's essentially profiting from someone else's misfortune.

Example Usage

The hedge fund short sold the company's stock, betting on negative earnings reports.

Source: Investment and finance terminology

Related Terms

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transfer pricing

The prices charged between subsidiaries of the same multinational corporation for goods or services, theoretically based on arm's-length principles but conveniently used to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions. Tax authorities are not amused.

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collectible

An object with just enough historical, financial, or sentimental cachet that otherwise-reasonable people will spend their rent money trying to acquire it—the perfect intersection of nostalgia and poor life choices. Your grandmother's Hummel figurines? Technically collectible. Your regret? Priceless.

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Leverage

To use something that already exists rather than building something new, which sounds strategic but usually means "we have no budget." The Swiss Army knife of corporate verbs -- it can mean literally anything.

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quant

A quantitative analyst who speaks fluent mathematics and turns market data into trading strategies. These number-crunching wizards use statistical models and algorithms to predict financial outcomes, often while the rest of us are still figuring out the tip at lunch. Wall Street's favorite rocket scientists who chose finance over NASA.

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disburse

The fancy way to say 'fork over the cash,' typically used when governments or large organizations finally release funds they've been sitting on. It's the financial equivalent of a parent grudgingly handing over allowance money. Always sounds more dignified than 'pay out,' which is exactly why accountants love it.

💰 Finance / Accounting
Intermediate

reserve

Resources, inventory, or funds deliberately kept back for future emergencies, strategic opportunities, or that inevitable moment when everything goes sideways. In business, it's the financial equivalent of keeping a spare tire in your trunk—boring until you desperately need it. Banks love reserves; accountants worship them; entrepreneurs pretend they have them.

💰 Finance / Accounting

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