JNPR remains to this day the only time I received a margin call from being short into earnings. At the close of April 4,2000 I knew the top was in because the trading dynamics had changed. 2000-2002 were fun times to short but you had to be nimble because the short covering bounces were brutal, especially when the Fed was incorporating surprise rate cuts into the mix.
%% And it was a smaller bear move, but finding something like TGT to target, not so wild as a wolverine LOL. Good thing about being over 30 years old, comissions are more reasonable, so we dont have to put up with a wolverine, meanest member of bear family; or buy TGT- LOL.
While it's a good idea to plan for the next bear market, it is more difficult to short the market over a long time horizon, e.g. to hold your short for a month or so is quite dangerous for your net-worth. Most of the mutual funds (the biggest players) are long only investors and their mandate require them to be in the market all the time, which can push up market very violently. But there are many short term opportunities to go to short in a bear market.
Do you seriously recommend holding a short position "for a month or so" when a market is rising? Is this what you actually do?