>> So whenever someone ask why you don't short an individual stock its always valid to answer that you believe you are right in the long term but the short term

>> So whenever someone ask why you don't short an individual stock its always valid to answer that you believe you are right in the long term but the short term could wipe you out if you shorted. Agreed. The biggest disconnect here is simply not understanding how the short mechanism works. It is not simply a bet against a stock and call it good. There's a chain of events that have to occur, culminating in someone's previously-held security of said stock.