I'd say the short was more like "when others are greedy, be greedy and aware".
Buying the assets once the markets had already collapsed, and they were undervalued, would have been more of a Warren Buffet thing to do.
Buying the assets once the markets had already collapsed, and they were undervalued, would have been more of a Warren Buffet thing to do.
1. The short trade (The Big Short or similar trades during the housing bubble) happened during a period of market euphoria. I.e. when most investors were irrationally confident and greedy.
2. Instead of sitting out or being fearful (as Buffett's original advice would suggest), the people who shorted the market took an aggressive position. They were indeed "greedy" in the sense of seeking profit, but they did so with deep awareness of the systemic risk that others were ignoring.