Long Position

A long position is a trade or investment made with the expectation that a crypto asset will increase in price. In the simplest form, it means buying an asset such as bitcoin or ether and holding it so you can sell later at a higher price. On trading platforms, a long position can also refer to using derivatives, such as futures or margin trades, to gain exposure to a price increase without simply holding the asset in a spot wallet.

Long positions matter because they are one of the basic ways traders express a bullish view on the market. For example, if a trader buys ETH at $2,000 because they expect it to rise, they are long ETH; if ETH later trades at $2,300 and they sell, the difference is their gain before fees and taxes. If the price falls instead, the position loses value. Leveraged longs can amplify both gains and losses, and may be liquidated if the market moves too far against the trader.