The aim of shorting Bitcoin, is profiting from a (temporary) decline in value. This is achieved by ‘short selling’ which means selling the cryptocurrency at a certain price and buying it back at a lower. If the price of Bitcoin indeed goes down, the trader profits from the price difference between the moment they sold the asset, and the moment of buying it back. The profit, or loss if the price movement goes the other way, may be further amplified by using margin or leverage. Another way to achieve this, is by buying Put options on Bitcoin.