Specialist's short-sale ratio

Specialist's short-sale ratio

The percentage of the total short sales of stock sold short by specialists.

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.