Bears, Bills, and Bond Panic: Saturday's Market Dispatch

US Market: Shorts and Smart Money

Short sellers are piling into EVs and chips with rare force. LCID short interest jumped 14.4 percentage points in a week to nearly 50% of free float. Availability of shares to borrow has hit 0.4% — effectively zero. WOLF is in a similar position, with short interest at 83% and no shares left to borrow. Options traders are aligned with short sellers on both names, adding pressure.

Bill Gates filed purchases of $241M in RSG shares in late August and early September. That's 15 separate transactions — a deliberate, sustained bet on the waste management sector. On the other side, NVDA director Mark Stevens disclosed $411M in stock sales over three days, drawing scrutiny despite NVIDIA's $5 trillion market cap.

Analysts lifted APP to a consensus target of $508.39 — a full upgrade. ADBE targets edged higher too. Travel names ABNB, EXPE, and DASH all received analyst target bumps, pointing to confidence in consumer spending. KR was the one cut — grocers face margin headwinds.

Europe: Bonds and Builders

Bond markets dominate the European picture. German borrowing costs hit their highest since 2009 after a global sell-off. France's debt interest bill is set to jump 25% in 2026 alone. US Treasury Secretary Bessent's $6bn buying operation failed to calm bond markets. UK construction firm Kier Group reports full-year results Monday amid the turbulence.

Earnings Ahead

TCOM reports Q2 results Tuesday. LEN posts Q3 numbers Wednesday. Both carry low short interest — bulls are in control heading in.