Kohl's shares surge 30% as retailer becomes latest meme stock: ‘Crazy group move'

Group 1 - Kohl's shares more than doubled in value, becoming one of the most-traded stocks on retail trading platforms, leading to a trading halt [1] - The stock is currently the No. 1 trending ticker on the retail investor forum Stocktwits [1] - Approximately 49% of Kohl's outstanding shares available for trading are shorted, indicating significant bearish sentiment [1][5] Group 2 - The trading volume for Kohl's reached about 87 million shares, which is 11 times its 25-day moving average volume, reminiscent of the 'meme-stock' rally from 2021 [3] - The recent surge in Kohl's stock price reflects a trend where retail investors are increasingly engaging with highly shorted stocks, often referred to as meme stocks [2][3] - Other highly shorted stocks, such as Opendoor Technologies, have also seen strong retail interest, with its shares up 10% and gaining over 300% in the past six sessions [4]