Question 1

What is a Net Short Position?

Accepted Answer

A Net Short Position (NSP) is the overall short exposure of a position holder in a share (or sovereign debt) after offsetting any long exposure (including via derivatives, futures, index-related instruments, CFDs, and spread bets). If the short position outweigh the long position, the position holder has a net short.

Question 2

What is the difference between short selling and a disclosed net short position?

Accepted Answer

Short selling is the trading activity: selling a borrowed share with the intention of buying it back later, for example to hedge or to profit from a price decline. A disclosed net short position is a regulatory disclosure showing a holder's net short exposure in an issuer after offsetting relevant long exposure. In other words, short selling is the activity, while a public short position disclosure is a threshold-based regulatory record.

Question 3

What is the difference between "reported to the regulator" and "publicly disclosed"?

Accepted Answer

Some net short positions must be reported privately to the competent authority before they become visible to the market. Public disclosure usually starts at a higher threshold, so a position can be known to the regulator but absent from public registers. ShortsInsights focuses on publicly disclosed short position data, not private regulatory filings.

Question 4

Do net short positions include derivatives (options, CFDs, swaps)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, under Regulation (EU) No 236/2012, net short position calculations can include instruments that create or hedge short exposure, including derivatives such as options, CFDs, swaps, futures, and related instruments. The purpose is to measure net economic short exposure, not only borrowed shares sold short. The exact calculation depends on the applicable regulation and regulator guidance.

Question 5

Is a disclosed short position the same as "short interest"?

Accepted Answer

No. "Short interest" often refers to the total amount of shares sold short in a market, while a disclosed net short position is a regulatory disclosure by a specific holder once a threshold is reached or crossed. Public net short position registers are threshold-based and do not show every short sale or every position below the public disclosure threshold.

Question 6

What is short selling?

Accepted Answer

Short selling means selling a borrowed share now and buying it back later, anticipating the price drop before buying back the share so you keep the difference. Short selling may be used for hedging or betting on a drop in share price.

Question 7

Why is there no entry for a company on some days?

Accepted Answer

The public disclosure of net short position registers only new disclosures, or ones that cross the publication thresholds. If no update exists, no new entry will be disclosure will be made. To illustrate this using an example: Fund X has a net short position of 0.63% in Company A on 1 January 2015, which will be disclosed to the public. Up until 7 February 2015, this net short position fluctuates between 0.63% and 0.67%, and as no threshold is crossed, these fluctuations will not be disclosed to the public.

Question 8

How often is ShortsInsights updated per country (and why it varies)?

Accepted Answer

ShortsInsights is updated frequently using public regulator disclosures, but the cadence can vary by country because each competent authority publishes data in its own format and on its own schedule. Some sources update on trading days, some publish later, and some may revise or replace files. The dashboard should therefore be read as a consolidated public disclosure dataset, not a guaranteed same-time daily feed for every country.

Question 9

Why can the dashboard show no change even when markets moved?

Accepted Answer

Market prices can move without any new public net short position disclosure. Public registers usually update only when a holder crosses a reporting or disclosure threshold, not when a share price changes or when smaller position movements occur. A quiet dashboard day does not necessarily mean no trading happened.

Question 10

Where does the data come from? Is there an EU-wide feed?

Accepted Answer

We obtain data regarding net short positions through competent national financial authorities.

Question 11

Which countries and regulators are covered by ShortsInsights?

Accepted Answer

ShortsInsights covers public short position disclosures from multiple European national authorities, including sources such as AFM, BaFin, AMF, CNMV, CONSOB, FCA, and other competent authorities listed on the site. Coverage can vary by country depending on source availability, file quality, and publication method. The country pages show the practical coverage available in the product.

Question 12

How do you standardize issuer and position-holder names across countries?

Accepted Answer

Regulators publish names in different formats, so ShortsInsights may clean, map, and standardize issuer and position-holder names to make the dataset easier to search. This can include grouping naming variants, normalizing capitalization, and using stable ShortsInsights issuer IDs. Because standardization can introduce differences from official records, users should verify critical details with the source regulator.

Question 13

Is ShortsInsights affiliated with any regulator or exchange?

Accepted Answer

No. ShortsInsights is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any regulator, exchange, or issuer. It consolidates and standardizes public short position disclosure data for convenience, while the official regulator registers remain the authoritative sources.

Question 14

How do I find the most shorted companies in Europe?

Accepted Answer

Use the dashboard or issuers pages to browse companies with publicly disclosed net short positions across European markets. "Most shorted" views can help identify issuers with high disclosed short exposure or many active position holders. Remember that the ranking is based on public disclosures, not total hidden or below-threshold short interest.

Question 15

What is the difference between the Issuer page and the Dashboard view?

Accepted Answer

The Dashboard gives a market-wide overview across countries, issuers, position holders, and recent changes. An Issuer page focuses on one company and shows its active and historical public net short position disclosures. Use the Dashboard for discovery and the Issuer page for company-level detail.

Question 16

Why do I see different numbers across countries for the same issuer?

Accepted Answer

Some issuers trade across venues or appear in source data under different country authorities, identifiers, or naming conventions. Differences can also come from regulator formats, corporate actions, publication timing, or how source records are standardized. For important checks, compare the ShortsInsights view with the relevant official register.

Question 17

How do I search for a position holder (hedge fund) and see their positions?

Accepted Answer

Use site search or the position-holder pages to find a short seller, hedge fund, or other position holder by name. A position-holder page shows publicly disclosed active and historical positions associated with that holder where available. Name variants can exist across regulators, so try common legal-name variations if you do not find a result immediately.

Question 18

How do favourites work on ShortsInsights?

Accepted Answer

Favourites let you save issuers and, on eligible plans, position holders to your personal watchlist. Saved favourites make it easier to monitor recent disclosures, charts, and activity in one place. Free accounts may have lower favourite limits than paid plans.

Question 19

What triggers an alert/notification?

Accepted Answer

Alerts can be based on saved favourites and configured trigger types, such as any change or a value crossing a selected percentage. Notifications depend on your plan entitlements, notification settings, and whether the relevant disclosure is published and processed. Alerts are based on public short position disclosure updates, not private filings or real-time trading.

Question 20

Can I get alerts for a specific company (issuer) or short seller (position holder)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can set alerts for saved issuers if your account supports issuer notifications. Position-holder alerts are available on eligible premium plans. The alert target must be one of your saved favourites, which keeps notifications tied to your watchlist.

Question 21

Can I choose alert thresholds (e.g., when a position crosses 0.5%, 1.0%)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, where alert triggers are available, you can choose a "value crosses" trigger and enter a percentage threshold such as 0.50 or 1.00. You can also use an "any change" trigger for broader monitoring. Threshold alerts depend on the public disclosure data ShortsInsights receives from regulators.

Question 22

Why didn't I receive an alert?

Accepted Answer

You may not receive an alert if notifications are disabled, your plan does not include that alert type, the issuer or position holder is not saved as a favourite, or the public disclosure did not match your trigger. Alerts can also be affected by email deliverability, source delays, or a position moving without crossing your selected threshold. Check your watchlist, notification settings, and spam folder first.

Question 23

Is there an API for ShortsInsights data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Eligible paid plans include access to a European short selling API: JSON endpoints to list tracked issuers and fetch publicly disclosed net short positions using a bearer API key. Start with the overview at https://shortsinsights.com/api and use the full technical reference at https://shortsinsights.com/api-docs. API access and rate limits depend on your subscription.

Question 24

How do I get an API key and where do I manage/rotate it?

Accepted Answer

API keys are created in account settings when your plan includes API access. For security, the full key is shown only once, so copy it when you create it. To rotate a key, revoke the current active key and create a new one.

Question 25

What is the API base URL and which endpoints are available?

Accepted Answer

The API docs show the current base URL and endpoint reference. The documented API is intentionally small: one endpoint lists tracked issuers, and another fetches active or historical disclosed positions for a selected issuer. Use the stable si_issuer_id from the issuer list when querying positions.

Question 26

How do I authenticate to the API (bearer token)?

Accepted Answer

Send your API key in the Authorization header as a bearer token. For example, use Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY in curl, Python, or your HTTP client. Keep API keys private and never expose them in client-side code or public repositories.

Question 27

What are the API rate limits and what happens when I exceed them?

Accepted Answer

Current documented limits are 100 requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day per key for paid API access. If you exceed a limit, the API returns a 429 rate limit response until the relevant window resets. Limits can depend on plan entitlements and may change over time.

Question 28

Can I use the API commercially or for client work?

Accepted Answer

Not by default. Under the current Terms, API access is for personal, non-commercial permitted internal use unless ShortsInsights expressly agrees otherwise in writing or offers a business plan for that purpose. Contact ShortsInsights before using the API for client work, publishing, resale, redistribution, or business workflows.

Question 29

Which plan includes API access?

Accepted Answer

API access is available only on plans that explicitly include it on the Pricing page or at checkout. In account settings, API key creation is enabled only when your subscription has API access. If API access is not shown for your plan, upgrade or contact ShortsInsights.

Question 30

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

You can manage cancellation through the billing and subscription area in account settings, which opens the Stripe billing portal when available. Cancellation stops renewal at the end of the current billing period, and access typically continues until that period ends. If the portal is unavailable, contact support from the account email.

Question 31

Do you offer refunds?

Accepted Answer

EU consumer withdrawal rights may apply for eligible online subscription purchases within 14 days, unless a mandatory-law exception applies. After that period, fees are generally non-refundable except where required by law. The Terms explain the current refund and withdrawal policy in more detail.

Question 32

Do you offer monthly vs yearly plans and can I switch?

Accepted Answer

Available billing intervals depend on the plans currently shown on the Pricing page and in Stripe checkout. Subscriptions are billed in advance on the interval shown at checkout, such as monthly or yearly if offered. Plan switches or upgrades may be handled through the billing portal or checkout flow.

Question 33

What payment methods are supported?

Accepted Answer

Payments are processed by Stripe, so available payment methods can depend on your country, currency, device, and the checkout configuration. Card payments and other Stripe-supported methods may be offered at checkout. ShortsInsights does not store full card details on its servers.

Question 34

What happens if my payment fails?

Accepted Answer

If a payment fails, Stripe may retry collection and ShortsInsights may show a past-due or unpaid subscription status. Paid features, including API access, may be suspended if payment is not resolved within the grace period described in the Terms. Update your payment method in the billing portal to restore access.

Question 35

Do you use cookies and analytics trackers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ShortsInsights uses necessary technologies for authentication, security, and service operation, and may use analytics such as Google Tag Manager or Google Analytics where permitted and subject to consent settings. The Privacy Policy and cookie banner explain the current cookie and tracker setup.

Question 36

How can I change my cookie/analytics consent?

Accepted Answer

You can change cookie and analytics consent through the CookieYes preference settings when available on the site. Analytics cookies should only be placed where required consent has been given. You can also clear cookies or local storage in your browser settings.

Question 37

What personal data do you process for accounts and subscriptions?

Accepted Answer

ShortsInsights may process account data such as email address, authentication details, optional profile fields, favourites, notification preferences, and support messages. Subscription and billing data is handled through Stripe, while payment method details are processed by Stripe rather than stored by ShortsInsights. The Privacy Policy lists the current categories and processors.

Question 38

What if a natural person's name appears in a disclosure?

Accepted Answer

ShortsInsights republishes public regulatory disclosures, and some official disclosures may include a natural person's name. If you believe an entry is incorrect or inappropriate, contact ShortsInsights with the country, source, date, and link so it can be reviewed. Official regulator records remain the authoritative source.

Question 39

Is ShortsInsights real-time short interest?

Accepted Answer

No. ShortsInsights is a consolidated view of publicly disclosed net short position data from regulator sources, not a real-time short interest feed. Public registers are threshold-based and can be delayed by reporting deadlines, regulator publication schedules, and ingestion timing.

Question 40

Does a higher disclosed net short position guarantee a price drop?

Accepted Answer

No. A higher disclosed net short position does not guarantee that a share price will fall. Short position disclosures are informational and may reflect hedging, relative-value trades, risk management, or directional views. ShortsInsights does not provide investment advice or recommendations.

Question 41

Why doesn't every short position appear on ShortsInsights?

Accepted Answer

Many short positions are below the public disclosure threshold and therefore do not appear in public registers. Others may be private regulatory reports, delayed publications, out-of-scope instruments, or unavailable from the source. ShortsInsights can only consolidate public disclosures it can access and process.

Short selling FAQ

Core concepts

Data freshness & "missing days"

Coverage & sources

Using ShortsInsights

Alerts & favourites

API

Pricing, billing, and account

Privacy, cookies, and data protection

Common misconceptions