A very good question and much akin to the saying 'If a tree...

A very good question and much akin to the saying 'If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?' A transaction can be a short position reportable transaction while at the same time also not be a short sale in instances for example where no change of ownership has taken place. More common as a currency risk strategy in forward priced foreign exchange and commodities markets it is also very much a grey area and an area of much debate when it comes to algorithm cross platform matching and arbitrage matching if a situation arises where no change of ownership has taken place. All hypothetical of course so I will let you join the dots on the effect or not that such a situation would have on reports such a traded short volumes. If your keen a search using the keywords ' ASIC high frequency trading and cross rates ' and ' ASIC short selling regulatory guides' should produce some good further research results. Enjoy our day.