TSLA dominated the news feed Wednesday. NHTSA closed its phantom braking probe into 2021–2022 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Elon Musk also denied reports of a SpaceX AI handheld device. Both headlines drove call-side interest in adjacent names — especially AAPL, tagged as a potential rival. AAPL short interest sits at just 0.96% of free float. That lean short position leaves room for call buyers to press higher.
Airlines are the standout bullish sector. DAL and UAL both saw fresh analyst upgrades today. Short interest on DAL is 3.7% of free float. UAL is at 4.7%. Neither is heavily shorted. Availability for UAL is over 2,600% of SI — meaning short sellers are not crowding in. That backdrop typically supports call volume over put activity.
HOOD got a fresh buy call from an analyst this morning. Its SI is 5% of free float. Availability is a very wide 1,157% of SI. Options traders watching Robinhood often use it as a proxy for retail sentiment.
QCOM was caught in the SpaceX device story. It sits at 3.85% SI with borrow cost of just 0.54%. Cheap to borrow and low short interest means the signal in QCOM options right now is more likely event-driven speculation than a short-squeeze setup.
The broader tone today leans bullish. Catalyst-driven call activity in tech and airlines is the key theme to watch into the holiday-shortened week.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
