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system
tax treatment of a boxed trade?
user
here's how capital gains are totaled: long and short term. capital gains and losses are either long-term or   short-term. it depends on how long the taxpayer holds the property. if   the taxpayer holds it for one year or less, the gain or loss is   short-term. net capital gain.  if a taxpayer’s long-term gains are more than their   long-term losses, the difference between the two is a net long-term   capital gain. if the net long-term capital gain is more than the net   short-term capital loss, the taxpayer has a net capital gain. so your net long-term gains (from all investments, through all brokers) are offset by any net short-term loss.  short term gains are taxed separately at a higher rate. i'm trying to avoid realizing a long term capital gain, but at the same time trade the stock. if you close in the next year, one of two things will happen - either the stock will go down, and you'll have short-term gains on the short, or the stock will go up, and you'll have short-term losses on the short that will offset the gains on the stock.  so i don;t see how it reduces your tax liability.  at best it defers it.
assistant