Friday Wrap: Nike, Shorts, and Oil in Focus

Earnings Ahead

Monday's calendar is the week's biggest catalyst. NKE reports Q4 2026 after the close. Short sellers are re-loading — SI has been climbing and analysts have been cutting targets again, making this one of the most watched prints of the month. GIS also reports Monday. Bears have been adding steadily, pushing SI to 10% of free float. STZ rounds out the day with Q1 2027 results.

Short Interest Pressure Builds

Wolfspeed remains the most extreme short in the market. SI hit 129.9% of free float, up from 103% last week. Availability is now zero. Shorts are locked in with no new borrow available. Lucid faces a different pressure — a cost to borrow of 77.9% makes every day expensive for bears. Restaurant Brands saw the sharpest large-cap jump, with SI doubling from 6.6% to 14.8% in a week.

Analysts Move Semis and Airlines Higher

Wells Fargo lifted its target on AMAT to $740. Airline consensus targets moved broadly higher, with DAL, UAL, and LUV all seeing upward revisions. Meanwhile, AVAV moved the other way — analysts cut targets as the stock continued to slide.

Europe and Macro

Oil dropped back below $72.48 a barrel — erasing all gains since the Iran conflict began in February. That hits energy names globally. UK budget airline easyJet rejected a £4.9bn takeover offer from Castlelake, though talks are ongoing. Bitcoin fell below $60,000, its lowest in 20 months, as retail money rotated toward AI stocks.