Short and sweet

Profiting from others’ misfortune appeals to some people, and short selling can be a lucrative enterprise – but it requires nerves of steel

It’s not easy to get the timing right when betting on a stock’s downfall Picture: Getty

We all know that stock market investing is a risky business. No matter how well equipped you are to assess a company – its market position, business model, resilience through economic cycles, capacity for innovation and so on – you can never be absolutely certain about the prospects for its success. This is especially true these days, with technological disruption so commonplace.

But on some occasions, you might be much more aware of ...