Core Insights - Short interest data provides insights into investor sentiment and potential risks in the stock market, helping gauge market confidence in a company's future [1] - A stock is deemed heavily shorted when a significant percentage of its available shares are borrowed and sold by investors anticipating a price drop [2] - Short squeezes can occur when short-sellers rush to cover their positions, leading to rapid price increases, as seen in recent meme stock manias [3] Short Interest Overview - The most heavily shorted stocks as of November 13 include Lucid Group, Inc. (48.99%), Choice Hotels International, Inc. (46.71%), and Avis Budget Group, Inc. (46.13%) [5] - Stocks are ranked by short interest, which is the total number of shares sold short and not yet covered, expressed as a percentage of shares available for public trading [4] Market Dynamics - Highly shorted stocks represent a battleground where negative fundamentals meet speculative trading [7] - Monitoring short interest can help identify potential short squeeze candidates, although timing such trades is challenging due to high volatility [7]

Group 1 - Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL) is experiencing a decline of 2.7%, trading at $142.62, marking its sixth consecutive daily loss, despite a year-to-date gain of 22.5% [1] - The stock reached a 52-week peak of $168.08 on November 3 and is expected to report third-quarter results at the end of the month [1] - The stock is approaching a historically bullish trendline, indicating a potential reversal in its downward trend [1] Group 2 - DELL has retraced to its 50-day moving average, being within 0.75 of the trendline's average true range (ATR), after remaining above it 80% of the time in the past two months [2] - Historical data shows that similar signals have occurred seven times in the past decade, with the stock rising one month later every time, averaging a 17% gain, which could position DELL around $166 [2] Group 3 - Short interest in DELL has increased by 12.2% in the most recent reporting period, representing 4.2% of the stock's total available float, with a buyback period of almost two days at the average trading pace [4] - Options for DELL are currently priced to sell, with a Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 49%, placing it in the 20th percentile of annual readings [5] - The stock tends to outperform options traders' volatility expectations, as indicated by a Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 77 out of 100 [5]

Core Insights - Short interest data provides insights into investor sentiment and potential risks in the stock market, helping gauge market confidence in a company's future [1][2] - Understanding short interest calculations and interpretations can lead to better investment decisions and awareness of price movement influences [1] What Is Short Interest Data? - Short interest measures the number of shares sold short but not yet repurchased, expressed as a percentage of the float or as a "days to cover" ratio [2] - FINRA is the official source for short interest data in the U.S., collecting reports from broker-dealers twice monthly [3][4] Data Sources and Reporting - Exchanges like Nasdaq and NYSE also publish short interest figures, but FINRA is mandated to collect and disseminate this information [4] - Brokerages may provide daily short interest data from various sources, but official figures are reported semi-monthly [5] Interpreting Short Interest - High short interest indicates bearish sentiment, suggesting many investors expect a price decline [6] - Conversely, excessively high short interest can lead to a short squeeze if positive news prompts short sellers to cover their positions [7] Using Short Interest Data - Short interest data can help traders and investors identify opportunities, manage risks, and understand market sentiment [9] - Context is crucial; short interest should be analyzed alongside other metrics like volume, float, and price action for effectiveness [11] The Takeaway - Effective use of short interest data involves more than just looking at percentage figures; combining it with other analytical tools can reveal signs of risk or sentiment shifts [12][13] - Investors may track short interest across sectors to gauge broader sentiment changes [14]

Group 1 - Target Corp is laying off 1,800 corporate employees, which is 8% of its workforce, in an effort to rebuild its customer base amid ongoing sales struggles [1] - The stock is currently trading at $95.42, up 1.2%, after hitting a five-year low of $85.36 on October 10, and has a year-to-date deficit of 30% [1] - The stock is facing resistance from the 126-day moving average, indicating a challenging recovery path [1] Group 2 - The call options for Target Corp have seen increased popularity, with a 50-day call/put volume ratio of 1.83, ranking higher than 86% of readings from the past year [2] - Short interest in the stock has risen by 27.6% over the last two reporting periods, accounting for 4.5% of the total available float [3] - It would take nearly three days for short sellers to cover their positions based on the current short interest [3]

Summary of Key Points Core Perspective - The total short interest in Nasdaq securities has increased slightly, indicating a growing bearish sentiment among investors as of the settlement date of September 30, 2025 [1][3]. Group 1: Nasdaq Global Market - At the end of the settlement date of September 30, 2025, short interest in 3,366 Nasdaq Global Market securities totaled 14,078,324,727 shares, up from 14,035,983,054 shares in the previous period [1]. - The average short interest represented 2.16 days compared to 2.49 days in the prior reporting period, indicating a decrease in the average time shares are held short [1]. Group 2: Nasdaq Capital Market - Short interest in 1,675 securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market reached 3,220,349,947 shares, an increase from 3,110,176,592 shares in the previous reporting period [2]. - The average daily volume for this segment was 1.00 day, down from 1.08 days in the prior period [2]. Group 3: Overall Nasdaq Securities - The total short interest across all 5,041 Nasdaq securities was 17,298,674,674 shares at the September 30, 2025 settlement date, compared to 17,146,159,646 shares in the previous reporting period [3]. - This represents an average of 1.71 days of short interest, a decrease from 2.01 days in the prior reporting period [3]. Group 4: Short Sale Definition - A short sale is defined as the sale of a security that the seller does not own or any sale consummated by the delivery of a borrowed security [4].

Core Viewpoint - Dollar Tree Inc (NASDAQ:DLTR) has experienced a downgrade from Jefferies, leading to a decline in stock price and a significant cut in earnings forecast, raising concerns about execution risks and external pressures [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - Dollar Tree's stock is currently trading at $85.61, down 2.4% following the downgrade [1] - The stock has been on a downward trend since early September, marking its lowest levels since May, with a potential fifth consecutive drop [2] - Despite recent declines, shares have increased by 14% since the beginning of the year [2] Group 2: Market Sentiment and Technical Indicators - The stock's 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is at 25.6, indicating it is in "oversold" territory [3] - Short interest in Dollar Tree has risen, now representing 8.5% of the equity's available float [3] - A high put/call volume ratio of 2.06 suggests significant pessimism among options traders, ranking higher than 98% of readings from the past year [4] Group 3: Options Market - Options for Dollar Tree are currently reasonably priced, with a Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 42%, placing it in the low 23rd percentile of its annual range, indicating low volatility expectations [5]

Core Insights - Short interest on 24 out of 37 consumer staple stocks increased in August compared to the previous month, indicating a growing bearish sentiment among investors [2] - Conversely, short interest for the remaining 13 consumer staple stocks decreased, suggesting a more favorable outlook for those companies [2] Summary by Category - **Consumer Staples Sector Performance** - 24 out of 37 stocks in the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund experienced a rise in short interest in August [2] - 13 stocks saw a decline in short interest, reflecting differing investor sentiments within the sector [2]

Group 1 - On Holdings AG (NYSE:ONON) reported better-than-expected second-quarter results, achieving record sales and raising its full-year revenue forecast despite challenges from Vietnam tariffs [1] - The stock price increased by 8.3% to $49.57, with an intraday high of $52.20, marking the third consecutive post-earnings price increase [1][2] - Year-to-date, ON Holdings stock has decreased by 10.2% [2] Group 2 - Analysts are predominantly bullish on the stock, with 19 out of 22 analysts rating it as "buy" or "strong buy," and a 12-month consensus price target of $66.16, indicating a 33.9% upside potential from current levels [3] - Options trading activity has surged, with 33,000 calls and 37,000 puts exchanged, which is six times the average daily options volume [4] - Short interest has decreased recently but still represents 9% of the stock's available float, with a buyback period of over four days at the average trading pace [5]

Core Viewpoint - AMC Entertainment is preparing for its second-quarter earnings report, with expectations of a loss and increased revenue compared to the previous year [1] Group 1: Earnings Expectations - Wall Street anticipates a loss of four cents per share on revenue of $1.35 billion, indicating a significant increase from the same quarter last year [1] Group 2: Stock Performance History - AMC Entertainment stock has a poor post-earnings history, with only one out of the last eight earnings reports resulting in a higher closing price the next day, which was a mere 0.2% increase in August 2024 [2] - The options market is pricing in a 9.2% move for the stock, which is larger than the average 4.9% swing over the past two years [2] Group 3: Current Stock Status - The stock is currently trading flat at $2.78, having finished 10 of the last 11 sessions lower, with a notable support level at $2.79 [3] - There is overhead pressure at the 320-day moving average, which may limit short-term gains, particularly around the $4 level [3] Group 4: Technical Indicators - The 14-day relative strength index (RSI) for AMC is at 13.4, indicating it is in "oversold" territory, suggesting a potential short-term bounce [4] - Year-to-date, the stock has declined by 30% [4] Group 5: Options Trading Activity - Options traders are predominantly buying calls, with 57,132 calls purchased compared to 7,224 puts in the past two weeks, indicating bullish sentiment despite the stock's struggles [5] - Short interest accounts for 15% of the stock's total available float, suggesting some call purchases may be hedging against short positions [5]

Meme Stock Resurgence - American Eagle Outfitters saw its stock price increase by more than 15% for the week due to high short interest, brand recognition, and the announcement of Sydney Sweeney headlining a fall campaign [1] - Other meme stocks like Kohl's and Krispy Kreme also experienced significant swings, with Krispy Kreme up more than 40% for the week [2] - The resurgence is being referred to as "meme stock 3.0" [3] Retail Trader Behavior - Many retail traders are using tools like ChatGPT to identify stocks with high short interest and the potential to run [11] - Retail traders are allocating small amounts to these volatile stocks, driven by interest and online discussions [9] - The majority (85%) of people who joined Robinhood during the initial meme stock era are still active on the platform, now engaging in retirement accounts and yield products [17] Market Analysis - The market has increased by nearly 30% in a short period, leading investors to seek new opportunities [8] - The meme stock phenomenon may not have the same impact as before due to a faster turnover of favored stocks [10] - There's a mix of sophisticated and less sophisticated investors participating in meme stock trading, with institutional investors being cautious [15][16]