Goldman Sachs(US:GS) Jin Rong Jie·2026-02-10 07:54Group 1 - Hedge funds recorded a historic increase in short positions on U.S. stocks last week, with the information technology sector being the most affected by sell-offs [1] - Goldman Sachs' prime brokerage team reported that the nominal short selling of individual stocks reached the highest level since records began in 2016, with short selling volume being twice that of long buying during the period from January 30 to February 5 [1] - Hedge funds have net sold U.S. stocks for the fourth consecutive week, with the selling intensity reaching the highest level since early April, particularly impacting the information technology sector, which saw the second-largest outflow in the past five years [1] Group 2 - Software stocks dominated the net sell-off, accounting for approximately 75% of the net selling in the information technology sector, with total net holdings in software stocks dropping to 2.6% and the long-short ratio falling to 1.3, both hitting record lows [1] - The semiconductor and semiconductor equipment sectors, along with IT services, were among the few technology-related areas that experienced net buying during the week, with semiconductor stocks rising and further widening the gap between chip stocks and software stocks [1] - Outside the technology sector, hedge funds continued to shift towards defensive sectors, with healthcare becoming the most net bought sector last week, surpassing industrials as the leading area for hedge fund inflows this year [1]