Markets head into the July 4th holiday with bearish positioning tightening on distressed names. Executives at semiconductor and energy firms rushed to lock in gains.
Short sellers made their biggest moves in names with troubled finances. WOLF — Wolfspeed — now carries short interest at 114.9% of its free float. That figure jumped 11 points in seven days. Shares available to borrow have hit zero. The chipmaker's balance sheet struggles show no sign of easing. HTZ — Hertz — tells a similar story. Short interest reached 48.4% of free float, up 11 points on the week. Cost to borrow stands at 5.3% APR. Availability is also zero. Meanwhile, CRWV drew fresh shorts. CoreWeave's SI rose 7.4 points to 28.4% of free float amid debate over its AI valuation.
Filings this week showed heavy executive selling. AMAT CEO Gary Dickerson filed $55.6M in sales tied to trades on June 29–30. BABA President J. Michael Evans filed $68.4M in sales after selling 720,000 shares at around $95 each. PBF major shareholder Carlos Slim filed $56.7M in sales across four transactions. The pattern across semis and energy suggests insiders are taking profits after a strong rally.
Analysts cut price targets on five major US oil producers in a single session. OXY, DVN, COP, EOG, and FANG all saw reductions. Crude's inability to hold gains is squeezing forecasts. Short sellers have not piled in — SI across these names remains below 3% of free float. Bears prefer distressed balance sheets over macro headwinds.
Earnings season opens quietly. PEP and LEVI both report Wednesday, July 8. Pepsi investors will watch tariff impacts on input costs. Levi faces scrutiny on its direct-to-consumer push.
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.
