In finance, a position is a specific amount of a security, commodity, or currency that is owned by a market participant, directly (by direct holding) or indirectly (by investment or exposure). The position may also be established by selling the subject-matter short (short selling).

A trader or investor takes a position when a purchase is made by them or for them (on their behalf) through to a buy order, signaling bullish stance as to the market or a specific segment or instrument (a long position); short selling implies sell orders with bearish intent (a short position).

For a trade, a position is an exposure that entails a current ability to make a profit or incur a loss in associated with the size of the exposure (investment, instrument, etc.) , or a current ability to take advantage of hedging possibilities.