In contrast to call options, put options grant the contract holder the right to sell the underlying (as opposed to the right to buy it) at a set price. The equivalent position using puts would involve selling short shares and then selling a downside put. This, however, is uncommon. Instead, traders may employ a married put, where an investor, holding a long position in a stock, purchases a put option on the same stock to protect against depreciation in the stock's price.