Dealing with the dividend when you have a short position

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What if I’m short a security when it goes ex-dividend?

You are on the hook for the dividend if you are short the stock/ETF when it goes ex-dividend.  It will be subtracted from your brokerage account on the distribution date.  You borrowed the stock, you are responsible for paying the owner of the security the dividend.

More questions on dividends?  See Top 10 questions about dividends.


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2 thoughts on “Dealing with the dividend when you have a short position”

  1. Hi Alex, The inverse funds like SH and SDS don’t track the dividend sized drop in SPY’s price when it goes ex-dividend. They continue tracking the S&P500 as they would on any normal day–so they aren’t an effective hedge for capturing the dividend.

    — Vance

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