BOT Borrow Costs Breach 100% as Short Sellers Pile In

A 51% stock rally in one week has not deterred short sellers in BOT. It has emboldened them.

Short interest in Robostrategy, Inc. has risen 85% in a single week to roughly 1.53 million shares. Meanwhile, the cost to borrow has crossed 100% — hitting 109.6% as of July 1. The borrow market has tightened dramatically in tandem.

Availability at a 52-Week Low

Availability now stands at 30.7% — the tightest reading in the past year. That means for every three shares currently lent out, barely one remains available in the lending pool.

The collapse has been swift. Just two weeks ago, on June 16, availability was above 194%. By June 26 it had fallen to 54.6%. It sits at 30.7% today.

That compression has coincided with a near-doubling of borrowing costs. Cost to borrow was in the 62–68% range throughout most of June. It jumped to 109.6% on July 1 — a 70% week-on-week increase.

Short Score Climbing

The ORTEX short score has risen from 66.7 on June 18 to 74.5 on June 30. That is a meaningful move in a short window. It reflects the combined pressure of rising short interest, tightening availability, and surging borrow costs.

Options Shift

The put/call ratio has swung sharply. It hit 1.56 on June 23 — the 52-week high. Since then it has pulled back to 0.86 as of July 1. The retreat suggests some options positioning has unwound, even as the borrow market tightens further.

Insider Backdrop

In April, the company's President, COO, and an investment advisor collectively bought 580,000 shares at $10.00 — a combined $5.8 million. The stock now trades near $39.66. Those April buyers are sitting on substantial gains. That context matters when reading short seller conviction.

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• Short interest: ~1.53M shares, up 85% in one week
• Cost to borrow: 109.6%, up 70% week-on-week
• Availability: 30.7% — 52-week low
• Stock price: $39.66, up 51% in one week, up ~60% in one month
• ORTEX short score: 74.5 (June 30)
• Put/call ratio: 0.86 (down from 52-week high of 1.56 on June 23)
• April insider buying: ~$5.8M at $10.00/share