Semiconductor stocks are setting the tone on both the upside and short side. Micron Technology tops the options leaderboard for positive bets. SanDisk Corporation has surged 591% year-to-date. Bullish call flow keeps dominating despite those outsized gains. NVIDIA and Advanced Micro Devices also rank in the top five for positive options volume this week. Analysts added to the bullish case. Applied Materials saw fresh target lifts. Short interest on the semi equipment giant sits at just 1.7% of free float.
Not all semis are loved. Wolfspeed carries 85% short interest as a percentage of free float. Bears added another 6.9 points in a week. The stock has fallen 49% in three months. saw a sharp jump too — its SI % of FF rocketed from 2.3% to 10.0% in seven days. That kind of leap from a low base points to a coordinated new bearish bet.
Four major retailers report this week. Target and Lowe's both hold earnings calls on Wednesday. Ross Stores and Advance Auto Parts follow Thursday. Advance Auto carries 18.5% short interest — the highest among this week's reporters. A weak print could trigger sharp downside.
Borr Drilling Chairman Tor Olav Troim bought 1.5 million shares on August 13. He spent over $6 million. That stands out against broad selling elsewhere. Aurora Innovation director Michelangelo Volpi filed nearly $10 million in sales. Knight-Swift Director Reid Dove sold over $12 million worth of shares. Power names NRG Energy and Vistra Corp. drew analyst attention as AI-driven electricity demand keeps sentiment elevated.
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.
