Bears Pile Into Chewy as Hertz Shorts Retreat

Short sellers are busy across US markets as of August 5. The data reveals fresh pressure on pet retail and notable covering in auto rental.

Chewy under fire. CHWY short interest jumped to 81% of free float — up 5.4 percentage points in one week. That's one of the biggest weekly moves among stocks with a market cap above $500M. Bears are clearly skeptical of the pet retailer's ability to hold ground in a competitive market.

Hertz shorts quietly retreat. HTZ short interest dipped to 82% of free float, down 2.3pp over the same period. Availability has dried to zero, meaning new short positions are nearly impossible to open. A squeeze risk is building fast.

MicroVision near the edge. MVIS carries an eye-popping 196% SI vs free float and an ORTEX short score of 92. The stock is down 68% over three months. Availability sits at just 0.5%.

Five9 joins the bearish radar. FIVN climbed to 13.6% SI, adding 2.4pp this week as cloud contact-center software faces pressure.

SpaceX private shares (SPCX) carry 35% SI of free float — up 2pp on the week — as private market valuations remain hotly debated.

Watch HTZ and MVIS closely. Both combine extreme short positioning with near-zero borrow availability — a classic squeeze setup.