Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms: lighten up
lighten up
to sell a portion of a stock or bond position in a portfolio. A money manager with a large profit in a stock may decide to realize some of the gains because he is unsure that the stock will continue to rise, or because he is concerned too much of the fund's assets are tied up in the stock. As a result, he will say that he is "lightening up" his position in the stock. However, some of the stock remains in the portfolio.
