What It Means
Long Unwinding is what a chain shows when price falls while Open Interest also falls on the same contract, meaning traders who were long are exiting their positions, not fresh bears initiating new shorts. The Change in OI column turns negative on the same print that price ticks lower.
Example
Nifty's 23,800 Put opens the day with 26 lakh contracts of Open Interest and a premium of ₹150. Through the session the premium drifts down to ₹95 while OI also falls, to 19 lakh. Both price and OI fell together. That's Long Unwinding: existing long holders booking out, not a fresh wave of short positions building.
Warning
Long Unwinding is easy to mistake for Short Buildup since both push price down. The difference is the OI column: Unwinding shows OI falling, Short Buildup shows OI rising.
Related Terms
- Short Buildup — the fresh-position pattern that also pushes price down
- Short Covering — the equivalent exit pattern on the short side
- Open Interest (OI) — the underlying number this pattern is built from