Specialist Short Sale Ratio

Specialist Short Sale Ratio

The ratio of short sales made by specialists on an exchange to total short sales over a given period. Specialists are thought to be especially knowledgeable about the direction of the market, and most investors generally sell short when they are feeling bearish. Thus, a high specialist short sale ratio is considered to be bearish signal, while a low ratio is thought to be bullish. See also: Member short-sale ratio.