Trading

Short

By Ryan Silk & Lawrence Polatchek · Reviewed April 2026 · Options Trading Glossary

Selling a position you don't own

What is Short?

Short Selling something you don't own, creating an obligation. Short calls profit when price falls. Short puts profit when price rises. Short positions have obligations.

Complete Definition

Selling something you don't own, creating an obligation. Short calls profit when price falls. Short puts profit when price rises. Short positions have obligations.

Related Terms

Long Sell To Open Obligation

Written by

ApexVol Research Team

Quantitative options research

All calculations use live ORATS institutional data — the same source used by professional volatility desks.

Technical reviewer

Ryan Silk, ApexVol Founder

Reviewed for technical accuracy

10+ years trading options. Built ApexVol's pricing engine, Greeks model, and IV-rank methodology.

This guide is updated as market conditions and ORATS data change. Last revised 2026-05-12. How we research →

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