Fidelity (PA0012) Your order to sell short can not be accepted

Someone asks:

I’m unable to short $GME stock on Fidelity. The broker is giving me this error message:

(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.

Diego, a seasoned financial analyst in New York, brings a decade of expertise to guiding financial decisions. As a blogger for UseFidelity.com, he simplifies finance, offering insights on Fidelity Investments. Beyond numbers, he explores NYC's culture and enjoys capturing moments through his photography.

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