AI Hardware, Short Pressure, and a $92M Bet from Europe

Earnings Week Kicks Off

This week's results calendar is loaded with AI-linked names. Super Micro Computer reports after the close tonight. Short sellers have stalked the stock for months. The outcome could move the entire AI server space. Coherent Corp reports Wednesday. Options markets imply a potential $10.3 billion swing in value around that print. Applied Materials follows Thursday. Analysts just raised their consensus target on AMAT to $633. The chip equipment cycle is squarely in focus.

Chips Divided on Options and Short Interest

Semiconductors are telling two stories at once. Bears dominate options flow in Sandisk and Micron Technology. Sandisk is up 411% year-to-date. Micron has gained 207%. Both are drawing heavy put activity. Meanwhile, analyst desks lifted targets on KLA Corporation and Lam Research alongside AMAT. Optimism on equipment spending is real. But the options market says near-term risk in memory chips is rising fast.

Bears Squeeze Wolfspeed and Hertz

Wolfspeed short interest hit 81.1% of free float this week. That is up 3.9 points in seven days. Zero shares are available to borrow. Hertz sits at 67.5% SI % FF, up 2.9 points. Financials and banks are seeing the opposite story — U.S. Bancorp and Bank of New York Mellon both logged 100% positive options flow last week.

European CEO Makes Bold $92M Buy

Across the Atlantic, ACS Chairman and CEO Florentino Perez Rodriguez filed purchases worth over $92 million in his own company. Eight trades were filed on August 10. He bought across 10 consecutive sessions. European equity investors are also returning to the market. The Stoxx Europe 600 is on track to deliver 22% profit growth in Q2. Iran-related tensions had weighed on sentiment but strong earnings are pulling money back in.