Quote from whitster:
you guys are having a semantical wank
iow, talking past each other. using different definitions of "buying and selling"
every trade has a buyer and a seller.
so, yes there is ALWAYS the exact same # of shares bought vs. sold (and futures contracts too i might note)
commonly, people call it selling when sellers are hitting the bid and accepting lower and lower prices to sell into. as bids are hit and exhausted at a level (and/or lifted), sellers must accept lower and lower prices to get out.
sellers are "in control"
supply is exceeding demand at a given price, so the market moves until supply and demand are either in equilibrium or a reversal occurs, when demand exceeds supply.
so, yes EVERY transaction involves two sides.
in common parlance, it is called selling, when the sell side is more aggressive than the buy side.
clearly, sellers were "in control" today.