Bears Load Up Before Earnings Week

Short sellers are positioning aggressively ahead of a key earnings week. The biggest movers in the data are hard to miss.

Wix.com saw the sharpest 7-day jump among large US names. Short interest leapt from 11.5% to 17.8% of free float — a 6.2 percentage point move in a single week. Bears are betting against the Israeli web platform company ahead of its upcoming earnings print.

Chewy sits at 52.3% SI % of FF, up 4.6 points in a week. Analysts are split on the pet retailer's earnings prospects. Its short interest has fallen sharply from a peak above 74% in early August, suggesting some bears already locked in gains. But the recent uptick shows fresh positions are being built again.

Tenable is another name attracting new shorts. SI climbed from 9.1% to 13.5% over the past week — nearly a 50% relative jump. The cybersecurity firm reports imminently.

Wolfspeed remains one of the most-shorted names on the board. SI % FF stands at 75.3%. The chip maker's shares are down 48.5% in three months. Zero shares are available to borrow.

Hertz holds at 61.7% SI % FF. The rental car giant sees short interest slowly retreating from its August highs — bears may be covering before any event-driven bounce.

On the extreme end, 1-800-Flowers.com carries 29 days to cover with 74.2% SI % FF. A squeeze risk if any catalyst emerges.