Try: 
$line=~/-             # negative
        (?:           # followed by
         \d+(?:\.\d+)?  # digits possible followed by '.' digits
          |           # or
          \.\d+       # '.' digits
        )/x;
# with out comments looks like this $line=~/-(?:\d+(?:\.\d+)|\.\d+)/

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In reply to Re: Regex negative number question by fletcher_the_dog
in thread Regex negative number question by Lori713

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