A downtrend occurs when the successive peaks of a security's price trend downward without recovering from the troughs, with successively lower market peaks each time. Downtrends may happen in a span of minutes or months, depending on the security being discussed.

In a downtrend, it may not be advisable to purchase (or “go long” on) a security, since the duration of the trend is unknown. Many traders, however, see it as an opportunity for short selling.

Short selling is a bearish position done with the help of a brokerage/custodian, who lends the investor the security to sell. The brokerage will charge interest on the loaned amount until the investor purchases the security to “cover” the loan. The investor bets that the security will depreciate enough in the future to make it worth the trouble of borrowing it from the brokerage, selling it to a third party, paying interest on the loan and leaving collateral (margin) in place, before finally buying it at a (hopefully) lower price and giving it to the brokerage (who loaned the security to the investor originally).

Short selling can be done with equities and all kind of options. It may take the edge off the price of a long position, or it may give the investor excess equity that will allow other margin transactions.

Investors must remember that there is a distinct risk that the security will appreciate instead of depreciating. But short selling and other applicable strategies in a downtrend can be maximized with A.I. tools. A.I. can help investors take advantage of downtrends with greater accuracy – and, crucially, more profitable results.

Take, for example, the Falling Flag pattern. This type of formation happens when anticipation of a downtrend is high, and when a security’s price consolidates during a broader decline. It may indicate growing investor concern of an impending downtrend. Traders at this time can consider selling the security short or buying a put option at the downward breakout price level.

Investors can further leverage technical analysis of trends using Bollinger Bands and other techniques. Traders use indicators like Bollinger Bands to make predictions about future prices and verify how well a specific indicator works for a particular security, often by calculating The the odds of success under similar market conditions.

A downturn may be over when charts indicate a higher peak than the previous peak; instead, a horizontal trend or uptrend may be begin. Technical analysis using A.I. tools can help traders verify these trends and trade accordingly – and intelligently.