Short Sellers Pile Into Wolfspeed and Hertz

Short sellers have been busy this week. Wolfspeed tops the movers list, with SI jumping 3.9 percentage points in seven days. It now sits at 81.1% of free float. Shares to borrow are essentially gone — availability is zero. The chip maker has shed 29% over three months.

Hertz is another name attracting heavy fresh shorting. SI climbed 2.9 points to 67.5% of free float. With no shares available to borrow, any positive catalyst could spark a violent squeeze.

In biotech, NextCure carries the most eye-catching cost-to-borrow: 195% APR. That's an enormous carry cost for bears. MicroVision has SI at nearly 200% of float, a data quirk that points to heavy recycled lending. Its short score sits at 91.7.

Chewy remains one of the more liquid short targets at 98% of free float. Availability is 431% — plenty of stock to borrow, which tells you demand hasn't overwhelmed supply yet.

On the social radar, Riot Platforms grabbed headlines after a reported $9B cloud deal with Anthropic. Super Micro Computer and DJT are also in the news cycle, keeping retail attention high on both names.

Five9 rounded out notable movers, with SI rising 2.5 points to 14%. Bears are positioning ahead of expected AI disruption in the contact centre space.