If you’ve received Fidelity Error (PA0012), it means that you’re unable to short a stock due to eligibility, shares available or quantity limitations on Fidelity.
Someone asked:
I’m unable to short $GME stock on Fidelity. Here is the error message I received when trying to place a trade: Fidelity Error (PA0012): Your order to sell short can not be accepted. The security is either ineligible to short, there are currently no shares available to short, or there are insufficient shares available to meet your request. Please review your share quantity or contact a representative for additional detail.
If you’re unable to short stocks on Fidelity
If you are having difficulty shorting a stock on Fidelity, it could be due to a few potential reasons:
Eligibility
Some stocks may not be eligible for shorting on Fidelity. This means that Fidelity may have restricted or prohibited the ability to short certain securities on their platform. You must check to see if $GME (Gamestop) is one of them.
Shares availability
Shorting a stock requires borrowing shares from another investor who owns the stock. However, if the shares are in high demand, it may be difficult for Fidelity to borrow the shares for you to short.
Quantity limitation
If the amount of shares you are trying to short exceeds the amount available for shorting, the order will not be accepted.
How to fix error PA0012 on Fidelity
Option 1: Consider another stock that are available for short selling.
Option 2: Adjust the number of shares (in quantity) before submitting the short order again.
Option 3: Call Fidelity and ask them to find the shares for you to short.