Can you hold a short position overnight?

Asked by: Kristian Reilly  |  Last update: February 28, 2026
Score: 4.7/5 (10 votes)

There is no mandated limit to how long a short position may be held. Short selling involves having a broker who is willing to loan stock with the understanding that it is going to be sold on the open market and replaced at a later date.

Can you hold a short overnight?

You can maintain the short position (meaning hold on to the borrowed shares) for as long as you need, whether that's a few hours or a few weeks. Just remember you're paying interest on those borrowed shares for as long as you hold them, and you'll need to maintain the margin requirements throughout the period, too.

How long can I hold my short position?

There is no limit on how long you can maintain a short position, but you will incur a short interest rate based on the security and an additional fee for dividends paid to the lender.

Can I hold positions overnight?

Yes, users are allowed to hold simulated trades overnight on all evaluations including E8 Trader accounts, however as a user, you should be aware of bad market conditions that may occur during a market rollover.

What happens if you don't close a short position?

If you don't close a short position, you will continue to pay interest or a commission for borrowing the security.

Short Selling Strategy for Beginner Traders - 3 Easy Steps (Part 3/3)

18 related questions found

When should you close a short position?

The aim is to hold onto the short until the price of the stock drops, enabling the investor to buy back the borrowed amount of shares at a lower price and realize a profit from the short sell transaction, but interest charges must be figured into net profit.

Does it cost money to hold a short position?

Shorting is Expensive

Short selling involves costs over and above trading commissions. A significant cost is associated with borrowing shares to short, in addition to the interest that is normally payable on a margin account.

Is holding options overnight good?

Overnight positions can expose an investor to the risk that new events may occur while the markets are closed. Day traders typically try to avoid holding overnight positions.

What is the overnight position limit?

An overnight limit, or an overnight position limit, is a restriction on the number of currency positions a trader may carry over from one trading day to the next. It is also a restriction on the total size of a position or a set of positions a currency dealer may carry over from one trading day to the next.

What happens if you hold margin overnight?

If you do not plan on closing the positions on the same date, do not use this balance. Due to the increased leverage, attempting to hold this overnight can result in the margin call being accelerated and becoming due immediately.

What is a short holding period?

The holding period of an investment is used to determine the taxing of capital gains or losses. A long-term holding period is one year or more with no expiration. Any investments that have a holding of less than one year will be short-term holds.

How much can you lose on a short position?

In the case of rising stock, however, you might have to buy back the security at a higher price and accept a loss. With short selling, the potential profit is limited to the value of the stock, but the potential loss is unlimited, which is one of the major risks of short selling.

What is the duration of a short position?

When an investor or trader enters a short position, they do so with the intention of profiting from falling prices. This is the opposite of a traditional long position where an investor hopes to profit from rising prices. There is no time limit on how long a short sale can or cannot be open for.

How long can I hold a short position?

Key Takeaways. There is no set time that an investor can hold a short position. The key requirement, however, is that the broker is willing to loan the stock for shorting. Investors can hold short positions as long as they are able to honor the margin requirements.

Who are the biggest short sellers?

See how the best short sellers invest!
  • Jeremy Grantham. GMO Asset Management. ...
  • Cathie Wood. ARK Invest. ...
  • George Soros. Soros Fund Management LLC. ...
  • Jim Chanos. Kynikos Associates LP. ...
  • Howard Marks. Oaktree Capital Management. ...
  • Michael Burry. Scion Asset Management, LLC. ...
  • Bill Ackman. Pershing Square Capital Management. ...
  • Gabe Plotkin.

Why is short selling legal?

Short selling is legal because investors and regulators say it plays an important role in market efficiency and liquidity. By permitting short selling, a strategy that speculates that a security will go down in price, regulators are, in effect, allowing investors to bet against what they see as overvalued stocks.

What is the overnight rule?

Taxation. SECTION 162 (a) (2) of the Internal Revenve Code of 19541. specifically allows a deduction for travel expenses, including amounts spent for meals and lodging while the taxpayer is away from home for business reasons.

What are the risks of overnight trading?

Potential risks of extended hours trading
  • Variable or lower liquidity. Because generally fewer shares trade after hours, there can be wide spreads between the bid (the highest price offered by all buyers) and the ask (the lowest price offered by all sellers). ...
  • Uncertain prices. ...
  • Lack of calculation of index value.

What shift is considered overnight?

Night/Graveyard Shift: A shift, four or more hours of which fall between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Why don't day traders hold overnight?

Day traders specialize in exploiting short-term price movements, often driven by technical patterns or market momentum. Holding positions overnight does not align with their strategy, which prioritizes quick entries and exits during the same trading session.

Can I hold options for 2 days?

Typically, an option buyer should not hold the position for more than 3 days, because the time decay will eat into the premium.

Can I hold sell position overnight?

A futures contract can be shorted and can be carried or held overnight, unlike short selling in the equity segment, where the position must be squared off on the same day. To place a sell order for futures contract, MIS (for intraday) or NRML (for overnight) product type can be used to place a sell order.

Can you close a short position anytime?

There's no specific time limit on how long you can hold a short position. In theory, you can keep a short position open as long as you continue to meet your margin requirements. However, in practice, your short position can only remain open as long as your broker doesn't call back the shares.

What is the short selling strategy?

Short selling is a trading strategy in which a trader aims to profit from a decline in a security's price by borrowing shares and selling them, hoping the stock price will then fall, enabling them to purchase the shares back for less money.

What happens if you short a stock and it goes to zero?

For instance, say you sell 100 shares of stock short at a price of $10 per share. Your proceeds from the sale will be $1,000. If the stock goes to zero, you'll get to keep the full $1,000. However, if the stock soars to $100 per share, you'll have to spend $10,000 to buy the 100 shares back.