Short sellers sharpened their bets this past week, with ORTEX data through August 13 revealing sharp moves in semiconductor and biotech names.
WOLF leads all mid-cap names. Short interest hit 85.2% of free float — up 6.9 percentage points in just seven days. The SiC chipmaker has shed nearly 49% over three months. Availability sits at zero, meaning fresh supply to borrow is essentially gone.
Biotech was equally active. REPL (Replimune) saw short interest jump 10.4 points to 37.8% of float in one week. Bears appear to be pressing a post-earnings position. Cost to borrow remains low at 0.66%, suggesting shorts are still finding shares.
CXW (CoreCivic) was a fresh surprise. SI leapt from 2.3% to 10.0% of float — a 7.6-point spike. The private prison operator rarely attracts heavy shorting. The move signals a new bearish thesis building.
On the squeeze watch, WEN (Wendy's) is pushing higher despite stubborn short positioning. Bears haven't covered. GALT (Galectin Therapeutics) carries 68.9% SI with a 58% three-month price gain — a live short squeeze candidate.
CHWY (Chewy) stays heavily shorted at 66.4% of float. Availability remains extremely generous at 466%, signalling bears still have room to add.
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.
