It’s no secret that cryptocurrencies have been on a tear over the past year, with Bitcoin leading the pack. While the gains have been welcomed by many investors, there has been one group of investors that have been left out in the cold: short sellers.
For those unfamiliar, short selling is a trading strategy where an investor borrows shares of an asset, sells it, and hopes to buy it back at a lower price so they can return the shares to the lender and pocket the difference. It’s a way to profit from falling prices, and it’s a strategy that has been used by traders for centuries.
Unfortunately for short sellers, most cryptocurrencies are not able to be sold short. This is because most exchanges only offer buying and selling of cryptocurrencies, not borrowing and lending.
This means that if you want to short sell a cryptocurrency, you would need to find someone who is willing to lend you their cryptocurrency so you can sell it.
However, there is one exchange that does offer short selling of cryptocurrencies: Coinbase. Coinbase is one of the largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges, and it offers a feature called “margin trading.
” Margin trading allows users to borrow money from Coinbase so they can trade with more money than they have in their account. This borrowed money is then used to buy or sell cryptocurrencies.
If the price of the cryptocurrency falls, the short seller will make a profit. If the price rises, the short seller will owe Coinbase money.
Short selling on Coinbase is therefore a risky proposition, but it can be profitable if done correctly.
Of course, like any investment, there are risks involved with short selling cryptocurrencies on Coinbase. The biggest risk is that of price manipulation.
Because Coinbase is one of the largest exchanges, there is always the possibility that large investors could move the markets by buying or selling large amounts of cryptocurrency. This could cause prices to artificially rise or fall, and leave short sellers owing Coinbase money.
Another risk is that of technical problems. Cryptocurrencies are still a new technology, and exchanges like Coinbase are still working out the kinks.
There have been instances where trades have not gone through or funds have not been available when needed, which can be frustrating for traders who are trying to capitalize on market movements.
Overall, short selling cryptocurrencies on Coinbase can be a profitable endeavor if done correctly, but it does come with some risks that should be considered before taking any positions.